It seems counterintuitive, but talking about loneliness can actually be uplifting.

Over the past weeks, our series on the public health crisis has led to some truly heartwarming conversations, emails and online comments from readers. Perhaps that's because, as one suburban single mom wrote, just realizing you aren't alone in being lonely can make you feel a little more connected. We have learned that dedicating time to focus on loneliness' antidote — social connection — is a powerful way to lift our spirits.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls this "the magic that happens when we allow ourselves to connect with other people."

Here, Murthy answers readers' questions about how loneliness impacts the young, how to flex your social muscles and what gives him hope. The conversation has been edited for space and clarity.

Q: One of our readers wondered if older adults are especially vulnerable to loneliness.

A: Older adults are at increased risk of isolation. In fact, they have some of the highest rates of isolation, and that isolation can lead to or increase your risk of loneliness. As people get older, and especially if they're dealing with illness or if they're not able to be as active as they once were, that can make it harder to go out and see friends and participate in community events. They also tend to lose family members and friends over time and that can also be further isolating. It's especially important for us to pay attention to those at the early stages of life and at the late stages of life because they both have their own unique risks for loneliness and isolation.

Q: So young people are at high risk for loneliness?

A: Yes, and this is where the distinction between loneliness and isolation becomes important. Isolation is a more objective description of the number of people you have around you. And elderly people are at a significant higher risk of experiencing isolation. But we find that young people are at the greatest risk of loneliness. So even though many of them are on college campuses, surrounded by many people, or surrounded by peers and community members when they're in high school, if they don't feel a sense of connection to the people around them, if they don't feel they can show up as themselves and be who they are, that can get lonely very, very quickly.

Q: What is most concerning about this for you?

A: In terms of loneliness itself, the population that I'm most concerned about is our young people because we are seeing the mental health impacts of this in this population. We're living in a time of a profound youth mental health crisis where we have rising rates of depression, anxiety and suicide among young people. And I am worried that loneliness has become an important contributor to that crisis.

Q: What are some effective ways to counter this?

A: It's important to have third spaces where people can gather outside of class and spend time together. But we also need to create the structure and opportunities for people to get to know one another more intentionally. Service can be really powerful. When we volunteer together with other people, that's a powerful way to build community around a meaningful cause. Many great friendships start that way.

Q: Several readers asked what impact the pandemic and lockdowns have had on our loneliness crisis.

A: I think that the pandemic had a really profound impact. Mental health was certainly a problem before the pandemic, but COVID made it worse. And young people, in particular, struggled. Many of them felt that their comfort with social interaction and their social skills took a step back. In fact, when we travel to college campuses and talk to students about this, many of them say that they're still struggling to get back to where they were. It's still more of an effort than it was pre-pandemic for many of them to start a conversation or to reach out to their friends. This is, in part, because our ability to interact with others socially is a muscle. It's a social muscle, and like any other muscle, it can get weaker if we don't use it and it can get stronger if we do use it.

Q: Several readers emailed about feeling especially lonely as newcomers to Minnesota. Are cultural norms a factor in loneliness?

A: Not being from Minnesota myself, I often hear Minnesota held up as the model for how to be kind, nice to other people. But I think there are a lot of cultural differences in how people interact with one another. That can make it challenging when you move from one place to another, because you may perceive someone as being standoffish or aloof, and that may not be their intention at all. I have found it really important to remember that on the outside we may be different — we may interact differently, we may have different customs. But inside we all have three core needs that are the same across all cultures: We all want to be seen and understood for who we are; we want to know that we matter; and we want to be loved.

Q: What gives you the most hope as you're leading the fight against loneliness?

A: Every single one of us, regardless of where we live, how old we are, what our background or skill set is, we all have the power to start building back the social fabric of our lives, step by step, conversation by conversation, relationship by relationship.