Loneliness & Disconnection in America: A Film & Discussion Recap

Recently I was invited to a film screening and conversation about social connection in America this week with?Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Senator Chris Murphy?at the U.S. Capitol.

About the JOIN OR DIE! Documentary Film

JOIN OR DIE ?is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it.?In this award-winning documentary, follow the half-century story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary Harvard social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking "Bowling Alone" research into America's decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Senator Mike Lee, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, Jane McAlevey, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions:?What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly…What can we do about it??Learn more at?JoinOrDieFilm.com .

Summary of the Conversation After the Film

The conversation centered around the growing concern of loneliness and disconnection in America, with nearly half of American adults experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Speakers emphasized the importance of social connection in addressing the current crisis of loneliness and isolation, and discussed the need for a national strategy to promote social connection. Additionally, the conversation touched on the ongoing debate between individualism and collectivism in a capitalist society, with a focus on finding a balance between these two ideologies.

Conversation Highlights

Loneliness and social connection as a public health issue.

• Dr. Murthy became interested in addressing social connection as a public health issue after being advised to listen to patients and understand their experiences.
• Dr. Murthy heard stories of loneliness and isolation from various individuals, including parents, students, CEOs, and members of Congress.
• Senator Murphy prioritized social connection in Congress, introducing a bill to combat America's loneliness epidemic and hiring a staffer dedicated to these issues.

Prioritizing social connection to improve mental and physical health.

• Senator Murphy thanks Surgeon General for addressing crisis of connection and loneliness in America. He shares personal experience as a parent of teenage boys, highlighting the challenges of modern life for young people.
• Dr. Murthy highlights the importance of connection in various sectors, including health, education, and business.
• Dr. Murthy discusses the need for clinicians to talk to patients about loneliness and isolation. He shares personal experience with loneliness, emphasizing the importance of social connection.
• Senator Murphy discusses the role of legislation in addressing loneliness, highlighting the need for local community involvement.

Loneliness epidemic and its impact on mental health, with suggestions for policy changes to address it.

• Senator Murphy advocates for policy changes to facilitate social connection.
• Senator Murphy: Institutions like religious institutions and unions are less healthy than ever, but both offer opportunities for connection and meaning.
• As Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy is influencing health policy and cultural shifts to address the loneliness epidemic.

Meeting human needs for meaning, purpose, and connection.

• Dr. Murthy: Humans are cerebral, emotional, and spiritual beings, needing meaning and purpose in life. People are at the heart of fulfilling our deepest needs, including emotional and spiritual ones.
• Dr. Murthy reflects on seeing kindness and compassion in everyday moments, such as a child's spontaneous act of comfort.
• Dr. Murthy believes that core kindness is present in everyone, ready to be activated through recognition and encouragement.

Connection, community, and happiness in America.

• Senator Murphy reflects on his personal journey of internalizing the importance of community connections in his work.
• The Surgeon General emphasizes the human need for solidarity and connection, citing our species' evolutionary history.
• Senator Murphy argues that government's role is to facilitate conversation about happiness, not deliver it.
• Senator Murphy believes that US culture has shifted from balancing individualism and common good to an economy of scarcity.

Technology's impact on human connection and loneliness.

• Senator Murphy addresses concerns about AI's impact on human connection.
• Parents feel helpless regulating kids' social media use due to work demands.
• Senator Murphy highlights the importance of addressing economic isolation and the need for a more localized economy.
• The Surgeon General Dr. Murthy agrees, emphasizing the role of economic power in creating a sense of isolation.

Artificial Intelligence's (AI) impact on relationships and fulfillment.

• Dr. Murthy highlights potential benefits of AI in addressing loneliness and isolation, such as identifying at-risk individuals and creating opportunities for in-person interaction.
• Dr. Murthy cautions against relying on AI to substitute for human connections, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational relationships and service opportunities.
• Dr. Murthy worries about social media's impact on relationships, segregating people by age and interests.
• At the end of their life, patients say that their relationships are most meaningful aspect of life at end of life.

Relevant Links

• The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently published an?Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community , which calls attention to the importance of social connection for individual health as well as on community-wide metrics of health and well-being, and conversely the significant consequences when social connection is lacking.
• Senator Chris Murphy is the sponsor of the?The National Strategy for Social Connection Act , a roadmap to begin addressing the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States by naming the problem, developing solutions, educating the public about best practices, and improving data about the scope of the crisis.?

Rethinking Workplace Wellbeing

A Series to Help Deepen Connection & Community within Your Workplace

How might our workplaces care for our mental health and well-being?

This is one of the thorniest challenges of our time. The Surgeon General's Framework is a key new step towards redefining our workplace, and our physical and mental well-being with it, but it’s just a framework and the topics they cover are just suggestions. Much work is needed to help decode its meaning, to understand how our workplaces function now, and where we need to go.

The Surgeon General passes the torch onto the practitioners of this work to do the heavy lifting. We must discover what it means in each of our workplaces and how we can make it actionable. That's why my co-host Kevin Shah and I did a deep dive on the Framework in the second season of the Empathy Power Up podcast.

Our workplaces can be engines that can help us grow and flourish, and can contribute to our overall wellbeing. We need to answer questions like:

• What does it mean to center on worker voice and equity?
• Why do we need to build connection and community at work? What does it look like?
• How might we achieve work-life harmony?
• What does dignity have to do with the workplace?

That's why I've done the heavy lifting for you--I've created a six-part series called Rethinking Workplace Wellbeing where I take the learnings from the Framework and translate it into key discussions, insights, and actionable steps your leaders can take now to rethink workplace wellbeing.

About the Series

This series begins with a discussion on what workplace wellbeing is, how to measure it, and then I help you understand the context and challenges in today's workplaces.

In the final five parts of the series you’ll learn more about and dive into each of the five parts of the framework, and then discuss and co-create practical, actionable ways to create an atmosphere that improves workplace wellbeing over time. We’ll collectively break down the components of this Framework and provide ways we can move towards putting these words to action within your context.

Throughout each session, I work with leaders to decode and make this framework actionable for your workplace. Each 90-minute session will include insights, discussions, and reflections they can apply right now to their work.

1. Session 1: Beginnings (You Are Here)
2. Session 2: Protection from Harm
3. Session 3: Connection & Community
4. Session 4: Work-Life Harmony
5. Session 5: Mattering at Work
6. Session 6: Opportunities for Growth

These action circles are very interactive--you'll gain greater insights, discussions, and reflections that you can apply right now to your work. I'll also give you additional resources, reading, podcasts, and videos to help you go deeper as you put this work into practice.