I was suffering for loneliness as a single woman in my 60's. Then I got a dog, Now I have met every person in my neighbourhood who has a dog. We meet at the park at specific times, daily for social time. We go for lunch and dinners, invite each other over to our homes for parties. We organize hiking trips, go to the movies, trade garden plants and recipes, share books etc. I feel like my dog saved me from a life of loneliness.

@hannw7

7 ай бұрын

It is no mystery why dog spelled backwards is God! Happy for you ♥️

@davidduarte2887

7 ай бұрын

Yep. I have made so many really interesting friends in my neighborhood because I got a dog.

@estherdeangelis

7 ай бұрын

How absolutely wonderful....delighted for you all....🎉❤🎉

@jacklan4103

7 ай бұрын

I cured my loneliness ever since I started working at the animal shelter.

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. - Helen Keller

What a lovely, intelligent and understanding man. I am profoundly touched by his presence.

IMO, social media is like the fast food of human connection. Looks and feels like the real thing but it's totally devoid of all the stuff we actually need and is thus killing us slowly. Wife and I are in our late 30s and none of the similarly aged people who are slowly buying houses in our neighborhood have any interest in socializing. Most can barely even muster saying hello in passing.

@Volt1029

7 ай бұрын

I have two neighbors my age. We don’t interact. I barely see them.

@aperson2730

7 ай бұрын

Hi, I don't mean to be flippant but perhaps you could take the first step. Perhaps pop over one day with a small box of sweetmeats or something. I know it won't be easy but it may be better than waiting for someone else to take the first step. Perhaps you could include a card containing your name and phone number.

@jenniferperry-pk5zt

7 ай бұрын

It important to actively seek to enhance your relationships and reach out to neighbors and make social connections. It’s like exercise-you have to make time for it for well being. Great show.

@pegpopken

7 ай бұрын

The sense of belonging comes in the small tenderness that are exchanged on a day to day bases. I watched a 4 year old and a ninety year old . Delt with loneness every day after their nap time he taught he card games from the book of Hoil then they were confident in the game at the next neighborhood pot luck . And mostly they won. But each found away to satisfy being lonely . I spit of the distance in a rural neighborhood.

@Change_Everything

7 ай бұрын

It def doesn’t look and feel like the real thing

As a child of the 60s and 70s television age, my parents made the decision to not have a tv in the house. It was awkward and hard, not watching the cartoons, sitcoms, etc., that my peers were watching. Instead, I made an art studio and a science lab in the basement. I made super 8 films, recruited classmates to be in them. I was a weird kid. But I was in the tactile, actual world, somewhat less influenced by advertising, peer pressure, mass culture. I am so grateful to my parents for letting me live IRL. Now more than ever, we need more parents who put in the effort to give their kids that experience.

@mary_puffin

7 ай бұрын

This is lovely! Unfortunately these days foregoing a TV has little to no effect, since kids have access to multiple smaller screens on their phones, tablets, and computers. I'm not a parent yet but would love to be able to do things differently if given the opportunity.

@ash9x9

7 ай бұрын

and what do you do now..?

@LisaSonora

Ай бұрын

We would have been best friends!

@kjmav10135

Ай бұрын

@@ash9x9 Our entire living room is an art studio! We are in the local forest every weekend, watching the changes week. Folk dancing when we can fit it in. We do Rotary stuff. I belong to our local Makerspace, so I’m always tinkering and making things. What I do now is pretty much what I did as a kid, but with better supplies! Sure, I’m online. I do some screen time, and I am very selective about what I watch. And I’m always leaving my phone somewhere and not realising it for hours, because I pretty much only use it for apps I have to have for work (endlessly annoying!) and an occasional phone call.

@kjmav10135

Ай бұрын

@@LisaSonora ❤️👋❤️

The Surgeon General Murthy is a wonderful human being. Imagine if the whole world were to follow his lead in the exceptional ideas in his closing statement. What a wonderful world we would live in. Thank you Rich, an outstanding interview as usual.

Extraordinary guest Rich - we need leaders like this compassionate man, who can set a kinder course. Thanks...

Being with yourself not by yourself is the key to being alone and not being lonely

“The Ask is Not Small Because The Need is Great”

It's a trip how this U.S Surgeon General Murthy has served under two completely opposing cabinets in The White House. What a heck of a career.

@legowifey4773

7 ай бұрын

lo you think the two cabinets were completely opposing, that's the trip.

@hannw7

7 ай бұрын

Adam… don’t feed the conspiracy theorists.

@sandrabentley8111

3 ай бұрын

Two opposing cabinets? What do you mean?

How beautiful is the Dr. Murthy's answer to the legacy he would like to leave! A nation connecting with it's core of love would bring a whole lot of good into the world and peace to each of us. How brilliant and brave for him to name the ailment that causes our suffering. I appreciate his pointing out that it's the character of policy makers that determine public policy (more or less, he said that, I think). This podcast was most refreshing. Thanks.

Damn, I actually shed tears listening to this and their descriptions of how loneliness presents. That's a first.

Suburban development planning and building codes are a serious significant factor that literally builds-in loneliness and isolation. Planning Code is soooo hard to change despite knowing well the negative consequences of it. To make it a health issue could be a tipping point. Hope there can be a spotlight on the serious and well-documented science around the negative impact of encoded and insidious development patterns that only serve status-quo profit models.

@MyEverydayGarden

7 ай бұрын

Good point

@ShaneHarveyMusic

7 ай бұрын

Starting with Block Watches. A system designed out of fear and does nothing more than spew fear into communities on a regular basis. We were far better off without it.

@anewagora

7 ай бұрын

So glad you said this. As a youth counselor I recognized childhood sheltering was an epidemic and we've destroyed the bedrock of childhood autonomy. Suburbanism is the driving force for this, the environment where it is the most extreme. It cripples kids and robs them of the real world. People learn that everywhere they walk and experience firsthand has been built and handed to them. They don't have real communities building and growing from the land around them. Each person lives in their corner of the Matrix, and uploads to whatever corner their extremely complex corporatized job is. When we start with each other face to face, in our real immediate environments, we are immediately autonomous to take action together without being controlled by random people in many layers of hierarchy, scattered across the world.

@Zayden.Marxist

7 ай бұрын

Profit is the key word there. The private profit maximization model is no longer fit for human needs, it goes against our very basic needs. We need a nationalized planned economy under workers' control.

The powers that be($$$) dont want people to be unified. They can isolate the workforce and use them as chattle for a minimum wage

@aperson2730

7 ай бұрын

Agreed. An atomised society is easier to manipulate/control/abuse.

@Zayden.Marxist

7 ай бұрын

It's not necessarily a conscious effort but definitely the drive for maximizing profits tends to lead to a more and more atomized society.

I’m deeply touched by the work that Rich Roll & team does! Thank you for having this Surgeon General at this time. His work is astounding!❤️

Social media was created to increase connections yet it also increases isolation. Why meet someone when you can send a text?

@W-superS

7 ай бұрын

Since when a text is anything close enough to real human contact? Who made us believe that and why did we agree to this? It’s totally our fault. The lack of communication with other and our inner self. And it’s our responsibility to fix that.

Such an important message. I feel like the pandemic and social media have had a profound effect on loneliness. I hope that we can make changes as a society to come back to what really matters, love.

I’d love for you to interview surgeon general Joseph Ladapo and talk to him about the importance of trustworthiness particularly in relation to leaders of health.

This SG is so approachable and thoughtful in his manner, this is refreshing.

This hit home for me. I found myself in the hospital having suffered a stroke. (I’ve since completely recovered thankfully.) I didn’t have anyone to help me. I couldn’t talk. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

@catthompson1217

7 ай бұрын

I went through my entire recovery alone. Since I’ve recovered, I’ve thought often about people who are like me are alone and I’ve thought I’d like to advocate for those who are alone and in need.

@southerngirl1408

6 ай бұрын

I’m sorry you had to go through that, but glad you recovered. You sound like a very thoughtful and caring person

@akc1739

5 ай бұрын

I’m just blown away from learning what some people experience. God bless you!

@junepagan8715

Ай бұрын

No one should be alone. I’m so sorry this happened to you.

This deserves way more views!!! What a great conversation. This surgeon general is a delight!!! He’s now my most favorite public servant. What a gentle soul. His voice is relaxing. He’s so thoughtful. I hope his initiatives are successful. We really need some major changes to pull us out of the tar pit we seem to be stuck in. You can’t tell me the entire trans issue all stems from social media and loneliness.

If American families, couples, friends, and neighbors would gather in their living rooms tonight and watch this chat with Vivek, take his message to heart, and start to live it-while steadfastly ignoring another Vivek (and his opponents) who are getting much more attention tonight-a spirit of national unity that we have forgotten we so badly crave would begin to spread across the land. The vision that Vivek Murthy inspiringly lays out reminds me of Martin Luther King Jr's vision of the Beloved Community. And can we distill the temperament-the kindness and thoughtfulness-of our Surgeon General and circulate it daily through the ducts in the halls of Congress?

Thank you, Rich, for getting Dr. Murthy on your podcast. 'Became a huge supporter of his work when I first heard him speak on other podcasts shortly after the release of his book in 2020. So, in a way, 'have waited more than three years for two of my favourite people engage in conversation about the subject of loneliness. In my opinion, it would be a much better world if someday individuals like Dr. Murthy are in hugely influential (not to say, he isn't currently in a position where his message will no doubt find an audience) positions like president of the U.S. For now, though, 'truly cherish him in whatever official or unofficial role he assumes. His gentleness, warmth, compassion, etc. are so refreshing in a both a collective world that is suffering and on a micro, individual basis.

Coach Dusty Bindgrif wrote a book on this exact topic.

Love the closer table 👏🥰

THIS is one of the most powerful, meaningful, and impactful interviews I have listened to in years. Thank you gentlemen. ❤

I just printed out the report he authored on the loneliness epidemic, so I’m incredibly excited to listen & learn more! Thanks for bringing this important conversation to the forefront.

What I want to know is why there is no compassion towards people getting mandated to take an experimental injection that was proven to not stop transmission and is extremely risky. Why are these encouraged for 6 month old babies and pregnant women! It makes no logical sense. What is really going on?? Is it going to take as long to get these injections off the market due to all the horrible AEs and fatal heart issues.

In this episode two lonely persons discuss loneliness to an audience of other lonely people. Brilliant insight. The issue is also safety. It is hard to invite a complete stranger to our home, but not so hard to share a picture of our place with a stranger. If we have a sense of being safe it is easier to connect.

It's wonderful to hear someone in such an important position be authentic, humane and loving. In a world with AI, disconnection and anger, it's so heart warming and hopeful to hear a calm, rational and caring conversation on a topic that is so important to the future of our world. Thank you to both Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Rich Roll for their integrity and dedication to making this world a better place to live for all of us.

Profound discussion. These are Buddhist values, spirituality minus organized religious structures. Thank you. I love to walk in my neighborhood and exchange a hello, a smile, a kind comment...with strangers and neighbors. I get a huge oxytocin rush and always feel more connected after simple, short human engagement. ❤

@MattAngiono

7 ай бұрын

I personally find the Tao De Ching to be the most enlightening book ever written. It's largely what Buddhism was based on

Very well said! I love this video.

Rich's intro is back! Thank you!

Thank you so much Rich & Mr Murthy for a deep nuanced & very needed conversation!

Nothing short of Excellent!!!!!

Fully enjoyed this conversation and appreciate his candid remarks

Beautifully shared discussion. Most grateful. 💜

What a delightful human and public servant! thank you!

You got a new table! Great podcast! 👍

Thank you Rich for touching this topic.

This is an incredibly thoughtful,intelligent and hopeful interview. Well done.

Really seems like a heart centered leader. I loved his response to Rich's final question.

what a beautiful message. You both bring so much hope to a very sick and chaotic system. Very deep. Much love. 💗

Beautiful interview

Wow, thank you for having him in your show and the beautiful important conversation that I will share with many ❤

You are a very good KZreadr, I love your videos.❤

Thank you for presenting this important subject, so many take aways from this

His book was so amazing!

I love all your podcasts + this one is no exception - SpectacularlySpecial to listen in on such a strong message of Love. Very relevant topics raised that need to be addressed in the western world. ThankYou. I appreciate.👍😜 Lizzi. xxx Melbourne, Australia.

BEAUTIFUL HEART WORK!

Thanks for this excellent interview!! Rich, you are the best host......always such skilled inquiries and comments with your guests!!

I wish I could have heard this when I was struggling and misunderstood by everyone during my stay in chicago.

Great conversation

Great conversation. Very insightful particularly about young people and the decline of in-person community. 😢 Looking forward to the follow-up episode. Thanks Vivek, Rich & Team. ❤

Great to see a high level public servant like him who is well spoken, logical, not divisive and seems to be a person we can trust. Not saying he’s perfect or someone I would agree with all the time. Hopefully some day we restore some level of public trust with our countries leaders.

Thank you both. Great discussion. How about let's all do what Dr Murthy advocates

Wow. Amazing catch? 1st video I've watched from this channel! 1stie

WHO bought their kids their phones, lap tops, tablets, computers and pay for their internet ??? YOU !

@MyEverydayGarden

7 ай бұрын

Exactly!

Wow! I am hoping that this wonderful compassionate gentleman gets to continue spreading this message. I actually felt hope for our government. This was one of your best conversations Rich! 🙏

@sedonasky7314

7 ай бұрын

💯

As always Rich u have introduced us to another amazing Doctor who is profoundly making beautiful changes Surgeon General Vivek Murphy 🕊🙏🧘very grateful for ur human kindness 🤍🌹Rich Rolls very grateful for ur continuous amazing service U both inspire me to continue to shine 😊

It's hard to trust.

for study on medical consequences of loneliness I highly recommend the book: A Cry Unheard: New Insights into the Medical Consequences of Loneliness by James J. Lynch it concentrates on the heart issues. It has lots of insights

Excellent

Cue Rich furiously scratching off boat-related questions

Ah to hear the Rich Rollian philosophy point blank. Rich Roll for president. 💪🏻🌱🙏

@Rich Roll please get Iain McGilchrist on, you'll have a much more profound conversation and actually get to the bottom of our neural/psychological/social/cultural/political issues, and therefore understand the way to the solutions

Social media's impact on people's mental health is an extremely serious one. As a parent of three children, now young adults, I felt exasperated and alone in trying to deal with its harmful effects. I felt powerless and it placed demands on the child-parent relationship that shouldn't exist. It is and was the most stressful part of parenting. It was relentless. I still worry about the effects that it's having on them. I too wondered why nobody was doing anything about it, why it all had to fall on the individual shoulders of the parents. I am very grateful to Dr Murthy for recognising this and committing to it's change, for if the US can lead the way on this, it will have positive impact for children and parents around the world. I think it will also send a message of validation to people of all ages who feel its harmful effects. May Dr Murthy act as a catalyst for change and may he get the support he needs.

Than you for an excellent conversation! So ecstatic to have such a brilliant AND compassionate Surgeon General. Wow! Thes is the say our government should work......I'm so tired of spoiled Republican creating problems that don't even exist. We need to work together!

Thank you, Dr. Murthy and thank you to Rich for hosting him and his important message.

As a 35F, I don't know where to meet good men. Is it at the gym? A bar? A dating app? It just feels like wherever I go men and women are super effected by the media, news, and society (politics, values etc). It's really hard

@Mist3rEM

7 ай бұрын

Be prepared to make the first move. Most men nowadays would rather stay single than approach a woman in public and risk catching a sexual harassment case.

@lovehilaryanne

7 ай бұрын

@@Mist3rEM it's so sad this is the case, but you're not wrong. :(

Yo Rich, your beard looks amazing!

Loneliness is such a big issue for so many and especially our youth . It's even harder for neurodiverse youngsters and no one's talking about this. I tried to talk with the disabilities office at my son's college to start a support group for neurodiverse students during the pandemic ( an especially lonely time) and was met vey little enthusiasm. I was happy to see that the university had groups for many marginalized demographics within the school but nothing for neurodiverse students who are arguably struggling the most with loneliness. I'd like to the adults in institutions step up for these young people. Meeting people is harder than ever and they all wear head phones now so trying to make friends at the gym or even with neighbors in an apartment complex dominated by young residents is virtually impossible. You can't even say hi to someone absorbed in listening to their own entertainment as they move around the building or gym. Many young people struggle in his climate. Imagine how it must be for those whose brain wiring makes it challenging in the best of circumstances. I

teary eyed, at the end, of both gentle men ending their time together

I was just having a conversation with someone about the lack of interaction ("informal loose ties" per the Surgeon General). AI will create contactless and people-less experiences that used to require that you connect and interact with human beings. With less interaction with people, that is less interaction with people who are different from us as well. So not only will many AI-enabled capabilities exacerbate loneliness but it will also impact our ability to empathize and be open to different people.

Thanx

Curious to know where geographically they’re located and Obviously well taught and talented people

I feel there was a lost opportunity to mention a plant-based diet for physical AND mental health as Dr. Murthy's vast influence on the most overweight country in the world could have a major impact on the cause.

Things that weren't discussed. Sure getting together in leagues and community groups etc. are wonderful ideas but they have become close to unaffordable to most people. Mixed communities were there were shops downstairs and walkups above have disappeared to be replaced by larger impersonal buildings where people aren't naturally interacting. We are bombarded continually with messaging that says fear others, fear strangers, the world is not safe and then people become survival centred and fearful. The more fearful the less people get out and interact and thus cycle then becomes, less activity leads to a further empowering of the survival response and even less impetus for someone to feel safe meeting others. Social connection can decrease health risks, but maybe this is because when you are not connecting then you are not getting out to do things with people, so you aren't as healthy because you are less active. There is such a push to researching the things that are right in front of our faces. We can research everything to death or understand that there are something we know in the core of our beings. Sure research but this whole idea that we need to wait for data to agree with what we know is keeping us from doing things when they need to be done. There is so much more, but basically this will get buried below more comments and is really me sharing within a void when I could go out and do my work of making sure people stay connected. I just want to know where this voice on loneliness was the last few years when everyone was being told to stay in and away from each other, when seniors were being isolated in sterile rooms and the idea that we should fear each other was being pounded into our beings.

@MyEverydayGarden

7 ай бұрын

Very good. Even where we live,NZ , my kids walked to and from school. They were the exception as many were fearful that something would’ happen.’ Most would drive the kids to school though they lived 10 minutes walk away.

Yeah. Myself. Also

Parents dont take responsibility and drive their children to hang out with friends. They make them stay at home playing video games & dont take care of them socially. My mom would not make effort to meet other parent's so I could hang out with the kids. I used computer and social media to avoid reality of my lonleiness as a kid.

@sassysandie2865

7 ай бұрын

In the 60’s my mom didn’t want to take me anywhere so I watched TV or played records alone in my room.

@GuidetteExpert

7 ай бұрын

@@sassysandie2865 So horrible. I remember when I looked out the window crying because I felt so lonley. I filled all those feelings with videogames where I could be playing with people that live in other country locations. Also I was a victim of a older online predator that effected me many years later. All of these things just because social media is not regulated nore did the parent take care of their child as they should.

@sassysandie2865

7 ай бұрын

@@GuidetteExpert I’m so sorry😢l

@GuidetteExpert

7 ай бұрын

@@sassysandie2865 You too

@sassysandie2865

7 ай бұрын

@@GuidetteExpert 😘

Oh no I'm gonna die early

I think this is why teens do drugs. They are struggling to find a commonality with others and because there are so many different cultures mixed together, it is difficult for teens to find a connection. I think sports helps the ones who feel empowered by their athletic abilities but drugs allow people of all shapes and sizes something they can do together. Unfortunately, this is a false sense of connection and a type of superficiality that you realize when you start to find out that people are truly not your friend. So drugs are not a true connection but are a disconnect from yourself and others

Please help the cause against loneliness

To all thpose people who defend being alone, let ask you a question: How can you truely grow and develop as person if all you do is keep to yourself and avoid people? How can you truely learn from people?

This guy needs to run for president, third party.

As immigrant I faced this badly.

Found it strange that the topic did not touch on how the forced isolation masking, shutting down churches with Covid, how immensely negatively impactful it was on mental health and domestic violence, and what he might do if we have a similar situation has the government learned that quarantines don’t work💁‍♂️

While I appreciate this conversation in its entirety, unlike some people I'd like to recommend this video to, I am retired with plenty of discretionary time. Podcasts of more than about 30 minutes are deemed too long by busy people I know would appreciate the content. I'd love for my niece, a school teacher and parent, to hear this, but it's unlikely she'll find time for the whole video. I could try to summarize, but that is a lot of effort on the chance one person will get it. Is there something else that could be done? What about links to short clips in the subheadings? I could see my niece sharing that with other parents and educators. Maybe they would have a catchy name that would create a swell of 10 or 15 minute highlight videos to share. Something between YT one-minute clips and 105 minutes. Don't misunderstand. I want the whole, amazing conversation. Thanks so much!

@zenveg

7 ай бұрын

Rich always posts Shorts from the interviews and there's an index to jump to subjects of more interest. Look at the timeline.

@notadonna5983

7 ай бұрын

@@zenveg Yes. Thank you so much for responding. I was trying to suggest something a little pithier than a "short," but much less than an hour. I am always mindful to both be very selective with shares and to summarize in my text when I do, but when you have this much good content, that isn't enough, so I usually don't bother. In my world, family and friends think they're fine without reaching for greater awareness ... until they aren't. Maybe I just need to find new friends....🥰

It's so difficult talking to younger climbers at my local gym. It would be nice to collaborate and solve boulder problems. But, these youngsters often times appear awkward and often times not able to hold a conversation.

How can you 'believe' in technology? It's a thing, a tool. It's not a value or higher living principle. The lack of conscious understanding of what it is we look up to or place our trust in to lead us out of our mess. It's not the same thing that got us here.

👏👏👏👏💗

I would vote for Vivek for President, regardless of party affiliation.

The hhs asked why I was visiting their page. I just said "rich roll and us surgeon General podcast"

what if you're alone and completely fine with it and you're always keeping yourself busy so you don't feel lonely? is this still bad?

Loneliness hurts

These pod casters need to stop interviewing the same 12 people.

I don’t think Waldorf schools use social media.

Amazon, Walmart, Exxon Mobil.... just a few companies with the money and incentive.... that 'could' do something about loneliness. We know that the tech a - holes (Apple, Google, Meta) are only going to make things worse so let's get some of the world's other biggest corporations to build community. And we aren't going to end capitalism so let's be realistic. Where do we spend a good part of our days? One comes to mind -- Walmart. Great place to create community centers. Why not build a center near every Walmart location, maybe even as part of the same building??? Create places where people can play games, sports, read books, go bowling, and do things to better society. Also, we need to get back to teaching civics and how to be a good, moral person that is part of a functioning (debatable) society. Nothing will help if people don't know how to be around each other and can interact with respect and wait their turn to talk.

@Zayden.Marxist

7 ай бұрын

Such a center will never come about under capitalism. The point is to maximize profits. What can bring that about is seizing Walmart's assets, along with the assets of the rest of the Fortune 500 companies, and utilize them as part of a public planned economy under workers' control.

One of the isolating aspects is the concern about vaccinated people versus unvaccinated. There is a growing question as to whether there is something that vaccinated people are emitting that effects the unvaccinated and then of course the anger that some vaccinated people have against the unvaccinated and it’s only going to grow this election year.

Welp, there is something deeply wrong with me then, cause, I feel my most healthy when I’m alone! 🤣