Harvard Chan Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Harvard Chan Healthy & Happy Podcast, your passport to the forefront of positive health and happiness research! From unraveling the complexities of social determinants of health to highlighting innovative new mental health interventions, each episode is a journey into the heart of happiness science.
Hosted by Center Communications Coordinator Ayla Fudala, our podcast features enlightening conversations with experts at the forefront of health promotion and social change. Get ready to embark on a journey toward a healthier, happier life with the Harvard Healthy & Happy Podcast Series. Subscribe now and join the conversation! New episodes will be shared every two weeks.
Loneliness and Well-being
Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, roughly half of American adults reported experiencing loneliness, according to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. This is a serious public health issue because loneliness is a major risk factor for mental health conditions, such as depression, addiction, and suicidality, as well as for physical illness. Negative physical health effects include increased risk for heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. Studies show that loneliness is associated with a staggering 26% increase in the risk of premature death. “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community” posits that the mortality impact of lacking social connection is akin to that of smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day, surpassing even the risks associated with obesity and physical inactivity.
The Center chose to address this critical issue by inviting loneliness experts from across the country to visit us at the Harvard Chan School and asking them to share their insights and perspectives. Everyone interviewed for our Loneliness and Well-being podcast series is a scholar conducting cutting-edge research into the problem of loneliness, as well as into possible solutions, methods for promoting social connection and bringing people together.
Creativity, Connection, Happiness, and Health: An Interview with Dr. Jeremy Nobel
Our Loneliness and Well-being theme kicks off with an interview featuring world-renowned scholar Jeremy Nobel, M.D., MPH. Dr. Nobel is a primary-care physician, public health practitioner, and award-winning poet with faculty appointments at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Medical School. He is the founder and president of The Foundation for Art & Healing, whose signature initiative, Project UnLonely, addressing the personal and public health challenges of loneliness and social isolation, has gained national visibility. In this episode, Dr. Nobel discusses his recently published book, Project UnLonely: Healing our Crisis of Disconnection, which serves as a guide to using the arts to address loneliness on both individual and societal levels.
Listen Here:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPTThroughout the five-episode Loneliness and Well-being Series, new episodes will be released every two weeks. The next episode of the podcast, featuring Dr. Louise Hawkley, will be released on ____.
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