Surgeon General Advisory (loneliness)

In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an 82-page advisory titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation." It was the first U.S. surgeon-general advisory ever issued specifically on social isolation, and it framed loneliness not as a personal mood problem but as a public health emergency comparable in severity to tobacco and obesity.

Key findings:

- Loneliness increases mortality risk by 26% (independent of other risk factors). - The increased risk is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day. - Among adults aged 18–24, ~50% report regular loneliness. - The decline in close friendships shows up across virtually every demographic slice — age, income, education, geography.

The advisory called for a "national strategy to advance social connection" — including changes to urban design, workplace policy, education, and healthcare delivery. It explicitly named technology platforms as both part of the problem and a potential part of the solution if they're designed to encourage off-platform interaction rather than dwell time.

The 2023 advisory is the single most authoritative U.S. government document on the topic and is cited frequently in our /loneliness page and our research framing.