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An urgent guide to combatting the loneliness epidemic, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and Holocaust survivor appointed as New York's first-ever loneliness ambassador. US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy recently sounded the alarm that loneliness 'represents an urgent public health concern' - social media overuse, the effects of the pandemic, and the lack of 'third places' have all combined to make us more alone than we've ever been. Now, trusted therapist Dr Ruth K. Westheimer has made it her mission to shine a light on the problem and help us break out of the box of isolation. We are social animals. We are not meant to live in solitude. We have a shared desire to connect and create lasting bonds with the people around us. But the heaviness of loneliness can make this feel impossible. In tackling this problem with compassion and her trademark no-nonsense approach to therapy, Dr Ruth provides practical, sincere strategies for finding companionship, community, and intimacy. With her tips on navigating family, finding friends and lovers, and using technology in healthy ways, you will find wisdom and help here, whether you've been struggling with loneliness for years or only recently. The Joy of Connections isn't just a guidebook for overcoming loneliness: it's a vital kick in the pants we all need to start seeking - and finding - deep and lasting human connections.
About the author
Dr Ruth K Westheimer broke stigmas for more than forty years, beginning in the 1980s with her nationally syndicated US radio show Sexually Speaking. She authoured or co-authoured forty-six books on many topics, and was named New York’s Ambassador to Loneliness, the first such position in the United States. A beloved therapist known to millions as ‘Dr Ruth’, she died in July 2024.
Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the author or co-author of numerous books.
Pierre Lehu has collaborated with Dr Ruth for more than four decades.
Summary
An urgent guide to combatting the loneliness epidemic, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and Holocaust survivor appointed as New York’s first-ever loneliness ambassador.
US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy recently sounded the alarm that loneliness ‘represents an urgent public health concern’ — social media overuse, the effects of the pandemic, and the lack of ‘third places’ have all combined to make us more alone than we’ve ever been. Now, trusted therapist Dr Ruth K. Westheimer has made it her mission to shine a light on the problem and help us break out of the box of isolation.
We are social animals. We are not meant to live in solitude. We have a shared desire to connect and create lasting bonds with the people around us. But the heaviness of loneliness can make this feel impossible. In tackling this problem with compassion and her trademark no-nonsense approach to therapy, Dr Ruth provides practical, sincere strategies for finding companionship, community, and intimacy.
With her tips on navigating family, finding friends and lovers, and using technology in healthy ways, you will find wisdom and help here, whether you’ve been struggling with loneliness for years or only recently. The Joy of Connections isn’t just a guidebook for overcoming loneliness: it’s a vital kick in the pants we all need to start seeking — and finding — deep and lasting human connections.
