The consequences of loneliness

The interview “Business To Benefit From Addressing ‘Loneliness Epidemic,’ Doctor Says” features Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General of the United States between 2014 and 2017. Dr. Murthy speaks about the deep negative consequences that loneliness has on people’s health, their lives, and the businesses they work for.

In the first part of the interview, Dr. Murthy shares what he observed during his years of practicing medicine and, later, as he visited communities around the US as Surgeon General. Generally speaking, he observed that loneliness had a negative impact on his patients’ lives: “loneliness (…) was impacting the ability of my patients to live healthy and fulfilling lives” (l. 20). Loneliness, he suggests, adds to the stress caused by other issues and makes it more difficult for people to deal with these issues: “Some people were struggling with loneliness in the face of illness. (…) I met moms and dads, for example, who had lost children to drug overdoses and felt profoundly...