How loneliness affects your physical and mental health

Call to Mind is an MPR content initiative around issues of mental health.
Call to Mind is an MPR content initiative to inform and mobilize new conversations about mental health.
MPR

For APM's "Call to Mind" initiative during Mental Health Awareness Month in May:

Psychiatrist Anne Hallward hosts "Can We Talk."

This hour-long program is about loneliness: what it is, why so many of us feel it, and the surprising toll loneliness takes on our physical and mental health.

The health effects of chronic loneliness are akin to smoking 15 cigarettes every day — it literally shortens our lives. Yet it can feel vulnerable to name it when we feel lonely.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

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Through stories, this show examines the risk factors for loneliness, the influence of social media, and how creative approaches to loneliness can leave us more connected and resilient.

We also explore why two groups in particular — teens and the elderly — are most at risk for chronic loneliness.

Host Dr. Anne Hallward combines compelling storytelling with practical expert guidance to give listeners the tools they need to start their own courageous conversations. From the "Can We Talk" series by Safe Space Radio. Produced by public radio station WBUR in Boston.

More programs from Safe Space radio can be found at safespaceradio.com