U.S. surgeon general mentions Wendling’s research on podcast

The research of Amy Wendling, PhD, professor in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, was referenced during a podcast with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD.

In the AMA Journal of Ethics podcast “Ethics Talk,” Murthy joins the host in discussing loneliness as a public health threat and the connection between loneliness, public health responsiveness and the health of our democracy.

During the interview, the show’s host, Tim Hoff, references an article by Wendling, in which he notes “that loneliness is a precondition for ideological shifts toward authoritarian tendencies of thinking and acting. Our ability to think and act freely can be compromised by loneliness, because social isolation can leave us vulnerable to seeking out a sense of belonging that can be dysfunctional. For example, see white nationalism or political isolationism.”