Are We Facing A Loneliness Epidemic or Just Living Differently?

On this episode of The Miller Report: Real Clear Journalism, Maggie Miller sits down with Christopher J. Ferguson to discuss whether we are really in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. We speak about the difference between being physically alone and feeling lonely. In 2023, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared the nation was facing a “loneliness epidemic,” even comparing the health risks to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. But Ferguson’s new RealClearInvestigations piece argues that the data doesn’t support that. Yes, Americans are marrying less, having fewer children, and spending more time working from home. But the metrics Murthy and others point to are often about social interaction frequency, not how lonely people actually feel. So are we overstating the problem? Are we just interacting differently? How should we frame this conversation instead?