Interview: What happens to your brain without any social contact? with Dr. Vivek Murthy
TED Health
TED
4.0 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Shoshana invites Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, to discuss the ongoing loneliness epidemic.
After the interview, Shoshana shares a TED-Ed talk from Terry Kupers, "What happens to your brain without social contact?" Everyone needs time to themselves, and peaceful solitude has stress-relieving benefits. But when being alone is forced upon you, the effects can be surprisingly extensive. And though different people experience distinct effects, symptoms tend to become more severe and persistent the longer they're isolated. So, how exactly does isolation affect your body and brain? Terry Kupers investigates. [Directed by Camille Bovey, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Stephen LaRosa].
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is Ted Health, a podcast from Ted, and I'm your host, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleiter. |
| 0:06.9 | I've been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is to go through an entire day without a real |
| 0:13.1 | conversation. You know the kind I mean, not just a quick text or a passing like, hey, how are you? |
| 0:19.0 | I mean, an actual moment of connection where someone really sees you. |
| 0:23.9 | We're recording this episode in January, and I see this trend happen more and more in the |
| 0:28.9 | wintertime. |
| 0:30.1 | Many of us are spending more time indoors as the weather gets colder, and sometimes the |
| 0:34.5 | holiday season can leave us with amplified feelings of loneliness for those who are far from family or going through a difficult time. |
| 0:42.4 | If that's you, know that you're not alone. |
| 0:45.6 | Because according to experts, it turns out, many of us are missing this kind of deeper connection a lot more than we'd like to admit. |
| 0:52.7 | And from a health perspective, |
| 0:54.8 | social isolation really, really isn't good for us. In this week's episode, I'm excited to |
| 1:00.9 | bring you a conversation with Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United |
| 1:06.2 | States. Dr. Morthy is a physician and public health leader. He's also been sounding the alarm about what he calls the loneliness epidemic in the U.S. for years now. |
| 1:16.5 | He sees social isolation as a public health crisis that can be just as deadly as heavy tobacco use. |
| 1:23.3 | And we're going to talk about how we got here. |
| 1:26.5 | Dr. Murthy and I are going to talk about social media |
| 1:28.8 | and how our digital lives are reshaping our relationships offline. |
| 1:32.7 | We'll also explore some small and practical tips we can all take to rebuild connection |
| 1:37.9 | and strengthen our well-being this new year, starting today. |
| 1:42.2 | Then after the interview, stick around for a TED-Ed lesson on what happens |
| 1:45.4 | to your brain without any social contact. But before we dive in, a quick break dear from our sponsors. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.