by Tim Carpenter

“The Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965 required that packages of cigarettes display the warning ‘Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health.’ I wish the Surgeon General would issue this warning: ‘Caution: Loneliness and Social Isolation May Be Hazardous to Your Health.’

“Yes, just like smoking, loneliness and social isolation are deadly. And just like smoking in the 1960s, our society is just beginning to understand the perils of loneliness and social isolation today. A 2015 study published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science shows that lacking social connections is as damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The New York Times recently ran a story with the headline “Social Isolation is Killing Us.”

“This is not news to me.”

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