Are We in a Loneliness Epidemic? (ft. @Katimorton)

The U.S. Surgeon General calls loneliness a major public health threat, as studies show 1 in 5 Americans always or often feels lonely or socially isolated. Some research suggests that the health impact is the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Along with guest @katimorton, Dr. Alok Patel and Sheena Williams break down the science of social connection and isolation. We’ve also got suggestions on how you can beat loneliness and feel better.
🩺🥼 Vitals is a series that’s taking a new approach to health and medicine. Hosts Alok Patel, MD, and Sheena Williams RN are going beyond the headlines to answer your questions on the latest health topics. No judgment, no taboos. Just 100% science-based information.
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Find our experts and hosts:
:: Alok Patel, MD ::
Website: alokpatelmd.com/
Twitter: @AlokPatelMD
Instagram: @alokpatelmd
:: Sheena William, RN ::
Twitter: @Keepingitkinky1
Instagram: @keepingitkinky
::Kati Morton ::
KZbin: @Katimorton
Twitter: @Katimorton
Instagram: @Katimorton

[@maenad1231]

It’s weird how the world entered a loneliness epidemic at the same time I experienced what it’s like to not be lonely and feel unhappy at the first time in my life…

[@Blackout0O0]

The world doesn't revolve around us

[@junkettarp8942]

How many people are watching this alone ?

[@tativanii3245]

😂😂😂😂

[@amandam480]

Me

[@Mr.Yuki-N-Mrs.Sarang]

Me lol.. exposedd

[@broly864]

Me as a mentally handicapped Autist I will never Have A GF Or feel any Love I hope puttin push the button Am sick off this life its a sick world

[@murraystockman134]

Me and theirs me and my friend me

[@robinandersson862]

I'm a pretty introverted person and a kind of lonewolf-type, so my social needs aren't that significant. I do chat with people online daily through various forums, but in real life I don't socialize too much (social gatherings other than with my family make me uncomfortable haha). For the most part I don't feel that lonely, but sometimes I do feel some sort of craving for interaction.

[@WoziduranJahemter]

Lil green looks like she wants to say that she isn't able to interact because of reckless behaviour that is caused by repressive rules of society.

[@jameslee-dp6cb]

Try going to a park, or pub. It's what I do when I feel loneliness. I'm a lot like you. I value my alone time, but the sound of a human voice has a magical effect toward making us feel more optimistic if you can just hold a conversation. It doesn't have to last long, and can even be about a common interest, but it does have it's rewards.

[@nathananderson8720]

This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my KZbin channel 8 months ago about self development. Now I have 925 subs and > 700 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I could haven’t learned without getting started in the 1st place.

[@LouforYous]

Fascinating. This was very helpful

[@libbiecrawford467]

After I retired, I discerned a call to clergy and in The Episcopal Church had an option that fit what I am called to do as an extroverted introvert. I began the journey to the Vocational Diaconate. My formal education process is 3 years and I am in my final year. It is volunteer work and part-time. It suits me. And at the beginning of the pandemic I was a shopper for those who could not be in stores even masked. That gave me a small group to interact with in-person that I would not have had otherwise. One the UCLA scale offered here, I am a 4. Sometimes I want companionship since I am a widow... I do have friends to engage with and do. Enlightening piece!

[@Froglet1968]

Every person's situation is so very different. I live very rurally and I'm back with my parents. They both have Aspergers, so they're very high functioning but not able to show or give warmth. I had to shield for a year when the pandemic started. I was completely cut off from everyone I knew and places I went to for social connection. I'm someone who really thrives on face to face contact, hugs and touch are crucial to me and now I find myself lost "out there" somewhere and not feeling a strong bond with anyone. I'm not currently working and to work or volunteer is a long way to drive...then my partner said he wanted a breather so my nervous system has gone into overdrive and anxiety sky high, there's so much yoga and exercise I can do but without closeness and proper face to face contact I'm losing who I am and my place in the world. I'm also highly sensitive so I feel other people's stuff! Where do I start? The loneliness is making eczema erupt and my body feels so tense and I can feel I'm closing down. I'm usually a very resilient and creative person but now I'm struggling. I would love some one to reach out to me and ask if I'm ok. It's usually me that does that but I'm now out of resources...thank you for reading and hearing me!

[@rachaeluponen1862]

Are you okay?

[@Froglet1968]

@@rachaeluponen1862 Thank you...kind of! I'm trying to get some structure in my day and more contact with people, but not sure how? Thank you again.

[@rachaeluponen1862]

@@Froglet1968 Yeah, that's fair. I don't really know how, either, other than putting myself out there. I am moving soon. Hopefully, when I have a new place to live, I can find ways to meet up with people.

[@Froglet1968]

@@rachaeluponen1862 oh well done and I hope the move goes really well for you...I think you'll draw the right people into your life...

[@rachaeluponen1862]

@@Froglet1968 Thank you! Good luck to you!

[@stevenharris6626]

I have a fairly severe seizure disorder, and it has caused loneliness. I was a practicing MD, and things have turned upside down and I have had a counselor to help me. The seizures seem to be getting worse, but volunteering has helped. Its soooo important to get up off of the couch and do things, and that seems to be harder with time. I read books, excercise, and I'm going to get a dog. I had a dog in the past, and that is the only thing that wasn't mentioned . Thanks for your help!!

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

I have an auto immune disorder and I am on immune suppression drugs, and I am my mom's (79 & 5/6ths) primary caregiver. She is a type one diabetic x 40 years and has poor lung function and is on oxygen 24/7. We are definitely still in Covid seclusion. Pretty much the only place we go is doctors appointments (when they can't be a telehealth issue) and the grocery store because Instacart is too expensive. It's very very lonely.

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

Thank the gawds for the Internet. ❤❤❤

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

I totally am on the more introverted side of things and I personally did better in the early lockdowns because I didn't have to talk to anybody I didn't have to go anywhere and I could totally justify the cost of delivery services!

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

Now, I'm like a Labrador when I can talk to people at the grocery store. Lol

[@Randomluck]

Thank you for sharing your perspective. 🫂

[@bdet313]

Have you thought about getting a pet? I didnt realize how much company my pets provided until they passed away.

[@jameslee-dp6cb]

Loneliness has its place in life. I think it's what we have to endure until we can appreciate others more.

[@christinebehrend6272]

Thanks for info. Yes very lonely!! Most connections seem missing a real connection.

[@kawonewilliams1949]

As an african American man with young children I find myself often as caregiver and having less social interaction. I told myself that I could use the five pillars that are integral in my life to build a better social network. Its a slow process but its a start

[@ChillingTales12]

What does race have to do with this?

[@kawonewilliams1949]

@karenrobledo9294 You didn't ask "what do kids" have to do with this? Does the idea that race impacts someone's social standing bother you? Just a question

[@ChillingTales12]

@@kawonewilliams1949 Well my race has nothing to do with mine.

[@kawonewilliams1949]

@karenrobledo9294 so why are you asking? What do you seek to understand? Also, remember, not everything is for everyone.

[@ChillingTales12]

@@kawonewilliams1949 I just dont know what race has to do with loneliness. I'm lonely and don't think to myself "as a hispanic I feel lonely all the time"

[@Victor-tl4dk]

1:19 for me I can actually somewhat control my desire. Right now I'm choosing to have my desire be very high because I know the good things that come with friends and I know my situation is unfortunate (i chose to isolate to make sure I stick with high achievers because at home my situation is toxic and not healthy. I didn't want to bring that to school and make the wrong choices based on that.) Anyway, it's destroying me horribly. But I also remember a time when I just accepted it and thought about it differently. There were downsides, but I felt free and happy then. So desire definitely has a lot to do with it. I guess our logical desire creates some kind of subconscious primitive life or death feeling if we don't meet that desire. That's an idea for what's going on.

[@Victor-tl4dk]

2:50 hehe. I used to go towards the toxic threads on "reddit"- it was other websites for me though- it was interaction that I as an isolated kid craved. It felt safe and real- even though it wasn't safe nor real. That was definitely due to childhood trauma. Most other kids have a parental voice in their heads that tells them that that's bad. But my voice was kind of similar to the reddit voices (ie. Cold, crazy, delusional (from my crazy and loving mom))

[@stevepoper8073]

I also used reddit a lot, but I ended up getting my feelings hurt from r/learnprogramming out of all places 🙄

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 Indoor malls & libraries are better than Reddit. Get kids to meet up there!

[@ElainaWilliams994]

My whole entire life I've never felt like I fit in. It's even worse when you're over 50 living in these days.

[@wolfdreams2000]

Kati is awesome! I'm definitely a person who prefers being alone, but I do need my animals ❤️

[@joannabrites9857]

That’s why we have an epidemic in this country. We’re supposed to care for one another. I love my animals to but I care for others.

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 Some do & some don’t

[@ahcangela8549]

"nooo, stop working from home, all the bosses and real estate are going to feel lonely if they can't pretend to have a purpose!" 🥺

[@Victor-tl4dk]

Yeah, I disagree with her point on this somewhat.

[@allisond.46]

That’s not what she said.

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 Head to the Mall, Park or library. If any security or tenant tries to kick you out, film them, post their image online & cancel their stubborn, robotic personality.

[@dinar8749]

Just because you're ok with never leaving the house or seeing anyone in person, doesn't mean everyone else has to accept that. If you want to stay shut in 24/7 you do you, but don't attack those who want the opposite.

[@knucklehoagies]

People don't know how to connect with others anymore. We're all sitting around with hedgehog complexes and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Basic human interaction is now lost on people.

[@Christian-rb8wk]

0:00 No. The thing is the room is empty.

[@pkpapers]

". . . the tea that they're spillin' . . . ?"

[@Victor-tl4dk]

7:21 "I can't talk to anyone" Advice "Go talk to someone 😂😂😂😂😂" In my case my crazy loving mother or my grandma with dementia because my mother isolated me from my entire family. So now that I know about my family talking to them is talking to a random stranger. Do people realize that people in these situations often... Feel they can't talk with anyone... Possibly because they don't have connections with anyone.... I'm sure they do.

[@allisond.46]

Can you leave the house and talk to someone at school or work?

[@rural_girl555]

​@@allisond.46 we don't have that fortune

[@ShadowMantis702]

1:20 “I have patients who prefer to be alone, you can attach a mental illness if u want” Sure ok, can I attach a mental illness to always seeking external validation from others?

[@bdet313]

Ikr, she thinks it’s wild that people prefer to be alone 😂

[@breal7277]

Good point. In this society we pathologize everything! If you don't fit into that tiny box, there is something wrong.

[@creativeforever4533]

Honestly true, its only a problem if your unhappy, but if theres never any signs your lonely then ya, it should be about what you find peace in, me personally I'm lonely and if thats an issue for me then ya i should work on that, but not everyone needs constant human connection, if thats what makes them happy

[@creativeforever4533]

I will say though i don't think its validation just wanting to share your life with others, not because you need validation, but if anything to be there for them and care for another

[@creativeforever4533]

Basically a balence of interaction while being able to enjoy alone time too

[@alexvillarreal3947]

jajaj , the covid generate of all this... doing people more cold with other and cold the friendships and families members... the people does not have the problem just were a victims. They need to get out with a correct people and that is it, but whatever other people can not help you , only God can help us.

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 I need help spreading the idea of malls being for their original idea. DAILY FRIENDS > making money & security

[@ThePhysics1234]

all these seems like a coping mechanisms for individuals of the problem the society has.

[@redruby747]

I'm married n feel lonely

[@drkarenbukharibukhari9931]

I have cardiac arrest and starved of love kinder unsafe

[@drkarenbukharibukhari9931]

I have developed diabetes as well afterwards

[@danielnosuke]

Did she have to define what loneliness is? And in words that I don't even understand - spilling tea, what? And then they defined it two more times? Like people don't know what it means.

[@carterx369]

This is an infomrative video. Speaking like that is to ensure that everyone watching at any level of understanding is taking away the key message. I was at an event last week where this was showed to a group of 10-15 year olds and they really connected to this and understood it! Especially "spilling the tea".

[@victoryu4492]

That was pointless. Are you serious? One of your recommendations is to go back to the office? That's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. Oh yeah, wasting 2 hours on commute and having less sleep is definitely a great idea.. /s

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 Libraries & Malls aren’t a lot but they have tables & areas where you can meet every day for health. Halifax has Bayers Road Centre as a solution.

[@jameslee-dp6cb]

There is more to life than your workplace. There are churches, pubs, parks, theaters, and scheduled events. You never know how much having a conversation with other people in life helps your perspective on life.

[@anz10]

agreed, hence why going back to the office is pointless, the office is not a great place to make friends for most people.

[@hernansanchez4980]

Is there some man that wnats to make a new friend? From Latinamerica?

[@joannabrites9857]

Most importantly lone wolves die! Because they stay to themselves and get eaten by the pack.

[@Matthew-tv3fz]

Tbh it’s seems being more social is actually a negative for human advancement imo. Being social holds us back from accomplishments that individuals could do better by themselves. And is refusing to adopt that mind set seems to be hurting us a lot.

[@jamesesparza6893]

Thats a completely different topic than the video is trying to cover. I say trying to because it comes off terribly scripted. This video was made because our country is in the middle of a vast loneliness epidemic. Not being alone, loneliness. This does not seem like much but there are major health and societal risks of which are so worrying the surgeon general said a few things regarding it.

[@Matthew-tv3fz]

@@jamesesparza6893 your terrible script bro

[@jamesesparza6893]

@@Matthew-tv3fz such burn much wow

[@Matthew-tv3fz]

@@jamesesparza6893 lol

[@dinar8749]

Ok, so don't go outside again.

[@lezbyanke777]

wow. do you know that you are giving a platform to a highly unethical therapist? She called people with ASPD "icky" / dehhumanized them on Shane Dawson's show

[@dogegamer3288]

All of these social maladies go back to disobeying God. God's first command was get married and have children. Not have a cat/dog replacement, travel the world, live in a tiny home van lifing with a god/cat. This is why. We've turned into a society of disobedient to God, selfish people as outlined in Romans chapter one that people in the last days love would grow cold and they would become 4 footed animal worshippers (cat, dog, horse). That is why there are literally millions upon millions of hours of cat/dog videos on KZbin and lonely people. They refuse to read God's word and obey him, which starts with the very first command to not be alone(it's not good), to marry one man and woman and to have children. We are told in God's perfect word that children in a marriage are a reward from God. Nothing will ever compensate or fill that void. People that are selfish, self-centered and disobedient to God will be lonely and God said that is not good for man.

[@joannabrites9857]

This is why people had religion. Get married and hve children, ya ok!! God wants us to take care of one another. The

[@dogegamer3288]

@@joannabrites9857 God's very first command was to get married and have children! The very first one. How would God ever create in his image if it were not so!? There would be nobody left to love and "take care of" if we followed your false God. In his perfect word which is never wrong he says this point blank "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Don't use selfishness and pursuit of the world, travel, luxury, money and your own dislike of children (which Jesus loved children) as an excuse. Stop making a God that you like made in your own image. The God you worship is 100% opposite of God in the Bible, if you believe you are not to marry and replenish the earth with his reward (children).

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 An enclosed building like a library or mall is not a lot, but we can have daily events for people who want to get married. Here in Halifax, we have Bayers Road centre

[@lloydfrancis9149]

With Jesus you are NEVER really Alone or forgotten even in isolation. God is enough!

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 Thank you. I’m with you too

[@Codisrocks]

You were really on, until you went on about the solution not being finding a group of peers, but just wasting your time on people who you have no real bond with.

[@DrBrainTickler]

Hello? Echo echo echo... I'm not allowed to speak in public so how am I supposed to have successful social relationships and tribal bonding? Aye, media parasite?

[@ehnwurdsae-urce3781]

just become gay or trans then you become incapable of saying anything wrong. reality literally will warp to your will

[@srsatlantic]

🇨🇦 Not allowed? It sounds like someone is a tyrant controlling you. I can relate to my father being this