Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy. The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening.

Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about.

Spend time each day with those you love.

These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future. The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. 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.īut, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. 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. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. 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. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When and Drive By revealing America's epidemic of loneliness-and then offering an array of remedies for the condition-Murthy has done a great service, and made Together the most important book you'll read this year.'-Daniel H. ' Together made me rethink much of what I believe about physical health, public policy, and the human condition.

Together is fascinating, moving, and essential reading.'-Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal

And as his gripping stories of the science and suffering make clear, we can do something about it. It is as harmful to health as smoking and far more common. 'We have a massive, deadly epidemic hidden in plain sight: loneliness. The New York Times Bestseller from Surgeon General, Vivek H.

Vivek h murthy together