On Loneliness and Its Diagnosis

Fragments on the Surgeon General's advisory on loneliness

Last week the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, released an advisory in which he named loneliness as an “epidemic” with major health consequences.  While I agree that our society has created the conditions for increased social isolation, and that loneliness is a consequence of our individualistic, consumerist culture, I found myself re…