“We know that loneliness is a fairly common feeling experienced by many people. It is something like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling that the body sends to us when something we need to survive is missing,” says Vivek Murthy, head of the US Federal Office of Public Health, to the AP agency.
The 80-page report by his office aims to raise awareness that loneliness is also a health risk and can cost the health system billions of dollars a year.
According to Murthy, the number of lonely people is increasing due to less popularity of church and community life, the number of single-person households is also increasing, and the covid-19 pandemic and the advent of new technologies have significantly worsened the situation.
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According to the survey, people now spend less time with friends than before, in 2020 it was on average about 20 minutes a day, while two decades ago it was still an hour a day. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 reduced the time spent with friends the most.
According to the report, loneliness increases the risk of premature death by up to a third, so Murthy urged employers, schools and parents to realize that face-to-face contact has a positive effect on mental and physical health. According to him, the big challenge is social networks and how to use them without sacrificing face-to-face interactions.
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