How to Be Less Lonely in the Pandemic

Are Zoom connections and physical distancing making us lonelier? Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General and author of Together, says prior to the pandemic people dealt with loneliness, which affects our health and well-being. Now, feelings of disconnection may be more difficult to bear. “If we allow physical distancing to translate into social distancing, we will experience a deepening of our loneliness,” he says. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, we can choose a path of social revival in the pandemic, he says. Murthy speaks with Olga Khazan, staff writer for The Atlantic, about his book Together, which took him on a journey to discover why people experience loneliness. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.