Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: 'staying human' requires connection and time away from tech

Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: 'staying human' requires connection and time away from tech

From WBUR Up Next by WBUR

May 21, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy discusses the importance of human connection and the impact of technology on health.

Murthy, a former Boston internal medicine physician, is launching a podcast and newsletter focused on helping people build community and fulfillment in their lives. He says loneliness, lack of purpose and the domination of technology in our culture are negatively impacting physical and mental health.

People in this episode

Host: WBUR

Guest: Vivek Murthy

Topics covered

  • loneliness
  • technology
  • community building
  • mental health
  • physical health
  • purpose

Keywords

  • Vivek Murthy
  • loneliness
  • technology
  • mental health
  • community
  • physical health
  • purpose

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WBUR

Places: Boston

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