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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher |
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TOGETHER
The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
This book is intended to empower readers to recognize loneliness and its related feelings, and it will equip them with strategies to stave off loneliness and rebuild connection. It is also a reflection on how we can build a more connected, less lonely world - and why this stands as one of the most urgent challenges of our time.
Entering the field of internal medicine following medical school, Vivek Murthy expected that most of his time would be spent caring for patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, infections, and cancer. But chronic loneliness became the most common pathology that he encountered as a physician. As Surgeon General, he traveled around speaking with people about their health and their lives. Behind the stories of struggles with addiction, violence, heart disease, and pain were threads of loneliness rarely disclosed at first that became more and more prominent as these conversations progressed. The world has recently woken up to the health dangers of this epidemic, but what we haven't begun to reckon with is why we perceive it with such harsh judgement. It's one thing to feel lonely, but an entirely different thing when we think we have failed because we feel lonely. It's almost as though this condition has its own locking-in mechanism. One that is both social and moraland one that needs to be destroyed.
In TOGETHER, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy concludes that reducing loneliness and improving social connection will require us to change our perception of loneliness and the underlying factors that are driving its rise. The answer is buried deep in the evolutionary history of human beings. Loneliness, it turns out, is more than an isolated feeling. It's a biological warning sign that tells us that an ingredient critical to our safety and survivalsocial connectionis missing. Like hunger pangs or thirst, loneliness reflects a rational response. However, we don't feel ashamed to admit that we are hungry or thirsty in the moment. Herein lies a key to addressing loneliness that is often missed: yes, infrequent or short-lived loneliness is common and often resolves on its own. But if we ignore it at this stage, we lose the opportunity to develop our anti-loneliness skills and toolbox for when it comes back. By becoming practiced at addressing loneliness early, we can not only prevent this progression but we can also equip ourselves with the experience and skills needed to counteract loneliness at all stages.
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy is the former Surgeon General of the Obama administration. He is a physician, researcher, public health expert. Dr. Murthy received his M.D. from Yale. He cared for thousands of patients and trained hundreds of medical students. His writings have been published in leading medical journals, newspapers, and magazine, and his work has been covered extensively in regional, national, and international media. He is the recipient of numerous awards, commendations, and honorary degrees.
In TOGETHER, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy concludes that reducing loneliness and improving social connection will require us to change our perception of loneliness and the underlying factors that are driving its rise. The answer is buried deep in the evolutionary history of human beings. Loneliness, it turns out, is more than an isolated feeling. It's a biological warning sign that tells us that an ingredient critical to our safety and survivalsocial connectionis missing. Like hunger pangs or thirst, loneliness reflects a rational response. However, we don't feel ashamed to admit that we are hungry or thirsty in the moment. Herein lies a key to addressing loneliness that is often missed: yes, infrequent or short-lived loneliness is common and often resolves on its own. But if we ignore it at this stage, we lose the opportunity to develop our anti-loneliness skills and toolbox for when it comes back. By becoming practiced at addressing loneliness early, we can not only prevent this progression but we can also equip ourselves with the experience and skills needed to counteract loneliness at all stages.
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy is the former Surgeon General of the Obama administration. He is a physician, researcher, public health expert. Dr. Murthy received his M.D. from Yale. He cared for thousands of patients and trained hundreds of medical students. His writings have been published in leading medical journals, newspapers, and magazine, and his work has been covered extensively in regional, national, and international media. He is the recipient of numerous awards, commendations, and honorary degrees.
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Book
Published 2020-04-28 by Harper Wave |