Gathering with family or friends for holiday meals on cold winter days could be the best medicine for loneliness, outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy argues in a booklet published this week.
The document posted on the surgeon general’s website builds on an advisory Dr. Murthy issued in May 2022 that warned of a national “epidemic of loneliness” driven by increased digital screen use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It suggests hosting or attending mealtime activities such as cook-offs, friendsgiving dinners and a morning coffee or tea meetup to boost mental and physical health through face-to-face interaction.
“When I think about connecting over food, I see myself at the kitchen counter, laughing with my mother and kids while peeling mangoes picked from our garden,” Dr. Murthy wrote. “I think of small dinner gatherings with treasured friends I would host during medical school, often with a single pot of hastily cooked pasta and vegetables. And I remember a wise mentor who told me food is so much more than calories — it’s the love your mother gave you as a child.”
Dr. Murthy served as surgeon general in the Obama administration before returning to the role in 2021 at the start of the Biden presidency. During the past few years, he has made post-pandemic loneliness among young people a top public health priority.
The incoming Trump administration has named family medicine doctor and Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat to replace Dr. Murthy as surgeon general after Inauguration Day in January.
Dr. Murthy’s latest recommendations come as reports find more Americans living alone than ever, contributing to a pandemic-era rise in mental health complaints.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Nov. 6 that adults nationwide experienced a “significant increase” in mental health grievances after the COVID-19 pandemic restricted social gatherings in 2020.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics estimated that anxiety symptoms increased from 15.6% of adults responding to a nationwide survey in 2019 to 18.2% in 2022. Depression symptoms rose from 18.5% to 21.4% of adults over the same period.
Other reports have flagged social media addiction as a growing public health crisis threatening the academic performance, mental health and decision-making skills of teenagers and young adults.
Last summer, Dr. Murthy urged Congress to slap a tobacco-style warning label on social media platforms.
In the “Recipes for Connection” booklet published this week, the surgeon general’s office pointed to research linking face-to-face interaction to reduced risks of heart disease, stroke, dementia and depression.
“Food is a powerful way to bring people together,” the booklet noted. “Before the meal, we were all strangers. By the end, we truly felt connected, uplifted and grateful to be in each other’s company.”
Not all gatherings need to be large.
According to some mental health experts not connected with the booklet, large gatherings could make lonely people struggling with deep anxiety, depression and trauma feel even worse.
“Gatherings like potlucks may be helpful for some people, but not all,” said Michelle Sherman, a fellow of the American Psychological Association. “People can feel even more lonely in a group setting when they don’t feel seen or connected to others.”
Ms. Sherman, a clinical psychologist specializing in family trauma, pointed to recent estimates that about half of U.S. adults are lonely — which she described as a sense of despairing isolation — and only 39% feel “very connected” to others.
“Single adults report higher rates of loneliness than married adults,” she added. “Some people may feel more comfortable in a one-to-one get-together, a walk that doesn’t require sustained eye contact or smaller groups.”
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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