The book we need NOW to avoid a social recession, Murthy's prescient message isabout the importance of human connection, the hidden impact of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community.
Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.
But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.
The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future.
Spend time each day with those you love. Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about.
Focus on each other. Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening.
Embrace solitude. The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy.
Help and be helped. Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger.
During Murthy's tenure as Surgeon General and during the research for Together, he found that there were few issues that elicited as much enthusiastic interest from both very conservative and very liberal members of Congress, from young and old people, or from urban and rural residents alike. Loneliness was something so many people have known themselves or have seen in the people around them. In the book, Murthy also shares his own deeply personal experiences with the subjectâ??from struggling with loneliness in school, to the devastating loss of his uncle who succumbed to his own loneliness, as well as the important example of community and connection that his parents modeled. Simply, it's a universal condition that affects all of us directly or through the people we loveâ??now more than ever… (plus d'informations)
In Together, former surgeon general Vivek H. Murthy, MD, writes about the unfavorable physical and emotional effects of social isolation and how they can be prevented through human connection. Moreover, through summaries of scientific studies as well as practical examples, Murthy demonstrates the many ways people can enhance their personal connections. Just being around other people is not enough, he writes. It is important for everyone--at all ages and from all walks of life--to feel seen, listened to, and valued.
Although the topic is intriguing, I found Murthy's approach to be overly reliant on detailed anecdotes that didn't hold my interest. I found myself skimming towards the end. ( )
This was a lot more scientific than what I thought it was going to be, so I liked that. A conversation about studies of loneliness. It seemed to veer off into more than just loneliness, but the point in all of it is that we need each other to be healthy. ( )
An outstanding examination of the modern health crises of loneliness and social isolation, why they are such a danger to human health and community vitality, and steps we can take as individuals to help ourselves, our family and friends, and society as a whole. Filled with lots of great stories and ideas, this is an important book. ( )
The core of this book is the notion that humans evolved to live in social groups with rich, fulfilling human relationships, however in the developed West we often live in comparatively socially isolated situations, and loneliness is rife and destructive. Some of the solutions proffered include mayors who make 'kindness contagious' in their local towns through focusing on enhancing social networks, and Australian men's sheds who create a space for comradeship as well as activity. Andrew Leigh's 2020 book Reconnected: A Community builder's handbook (LaTrobe University Press) is a good adjunct to this book to give a more Australian perspective, but Together is the better of the two books ultimately. Neither author is a work of memorably graceful prose, but the content is worth perusing at a time in history when we're freer to live as we'd like but more lonely than ever before.
The book we need NOW to avoid a social recession, Murthy's prescient message isabout the importance of human connection, the hidden impact of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community.
Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.
But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.
The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future.
Spend time each day with those you love. Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about.Focus on each other. Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening.Embrace solitude. The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy.Help and be helped. Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger.
During Murthy's tenure as Surgeon General and during the research for Together, he found that there were few issues that elicited as much enthusiastic interest from both very conservative and very liberal members of Congress, from young and old people, or from urban and rural residents alike. Loneliness was something so many people have known themselves or have seen in the people around them. In the book, Murthy also shares his own deeply personal experiences with the subjectâ??from struggling with loneliness in school, to the devastating loss of his uncle who succumbed to his own loneliness, as well as the important example of community and connection that his parents modeled. Simply, it's a universal condition that affects all of us directly or through the people we loveâ??now more than ever
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Although the topic is intriguing, I found Murthy's approach to be overly reliant on detailed anecdotes that didn't hold my interest. I found myself skimming towards the end. (