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In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, recognizing the significant challenges that loneliness, social isolation and mental health issues pose to college-age Americans in the post-pandemic world, conducted a listening tour of colleges and universities. Following the tour, he wrote an official advisory on the topic, the content of which has been widely shared.

Ruth E. Stitt, a licensed counselor, ordained minister and worship leader, reports in Psychology Today that Murthy's 80-page advisory contains data "demonstrating that loneliness and disconnection are linked to many biological and psychological disorders that dramatically diminish the quality of life and shorten lifespan.

"From Murthy's perspective, technology, particularly the internet and social media, appear to be the biggest culprits" among the "causes and drivers of this ongoing health hazard," writes Stitt. "In addition, political polarization and the clash of values Americans have experienced in recent decades make people more reluctant to express themselves freely for fear of rejection or angry opposition."

"Strengthening our connections and relationships," as Murthy puts it, is a major theme of his report. "Our individual relationships are an untapped resource -- a source of healing hiding in plain sight. They can help us live healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives."

If he were making his assessment today, you just have to wonder, would he be so optimistic?

Antony Funnell, a Walkley Award-winning journalist who currently presents the ABC podcast "Future Tense," noted in an April report, "If it feels like the world is in turmoil at the moment, that's because it is. Fear and anger abound -- in our politics, in our social discourse, and in our expectations for the future. ... What's needed is a better public understanding of the role (fear and anger) play in our lives, and a clearer appreciation that when emotions are manipulated, even good intentions can have disastrous consequences."

Historian and author Robert Peckham's most recent book is "Fear: An Alternative History of the World," an exploration of how fear has shaped societies from the 14th century to the present. According to Funnell, "Peckham describes fear as the flip side of hope." The two are "braided" together," he tells Funnell. "When aspirational elements in politics become overtaken by fear, then it poses a challenge."

"Peckham talks of societies and communities becoming 'enculturated' in fear," Funnell writes. "But he says the overuse of fear's motivational capacity can lead to disinterest and distrust."

Another difficulty people face in today's world "is empathising or imaginatively trying to situate themselves in the future," says Peckham. "It's very, very difficult."

According to leadership expert and author Margot Faraci, based on her survey of 2,500 emerging leaders in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, "When fear is pervasive in a system -- and it's pervasive in all of our systems -- what that means is that we lose dynamism, we lose innovation, we have high talent churn."

"It's hard to fully understand the way fear shapes our world without addressing its relationship to anger," Funnell writes. "As a tool of coercion, fear can only take you so far, but it sets the grounds for anger, and for the 'othering' of those we either don't like or disagree with, Professor Peckham says."

"Anger happens to be one of the emotions that makes us act quickly, and sometimes short-circuits what would (possibly) otherwise be a more systematic, deliberative and slow decision process," adds Harvard psychologist Jennifer Lerner. "The more one person expresses anger, the more others express anger, and then it becomes a kind of spiral where the anger is ratcheted up and up."

"This sounds a lot like the situation many bemoan online when social media platforms seemingly descend into ranting and abuse," Funnell writes.

Erika Ferszt, founder and lead consultant at Scintillate Brand Consulting, says she sees "a lot of people talking about rage exhaustion, (saying) that they can't watch the news anymore, they don't use social media because everything is so bad."

When we stress excessively over the current situation in this country, boiling over at the thought of one sickening thought after another, we can also find ourselves in a sickness-inducing state.

"Throughout the day and throughout the week and throughout the month, we're activating these systems during times of frustration, anger or rage that in the short run might help you in an emergency situation," explains Dr. Ilan Short Wittstein, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in a 2022 New York Times report on how anger affects the body. "But in the long run, it might be quite detrimental."

Reports Gina Cherelus for the Times, "Anger responses can cause a ripple effect throughout the body: From the cardiovascular system to your nervous system, it's all fair game. These are just some of the main organ systems it can play havoc with."

Says Wittstein, "Rage can have effects on the arteries that supply blood on the heart, it can have an effect on the electrical system specifically that tells the heart when to beat, and it can have an effect specifically on the heart muscle itself."

"Anger can have a positive physical effect in that it can help motivate you to get up and do something," Cherelus writes. Yet "in that agitated state, we're less likely to make good judgments, to listen for certain information and to be attuned to other motivations that are important for humans like values, said Dr. Royce Lee, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago."

Cherelus writes that according to Dr. William Burg, a clinical psychologist and professor at the Yale School of Medicine, "small changes in your routine can help mitigate" health risks associated with anger.

"It's almost impossible to avoid feelings of anger, but meditation, breath work, fitness and getting a full night's rest are all helpful ways to manage anger," Burg says. "If we all grew up understanding that, we probably wouldn't be as stressed and angry as we are."

"Our anger is a reaction to and distraction from other uncomfortable feelings such as guilt, shame, powerlessness, rejection, sadness, or feelings of inadequacy," Dr. Bernard Golden, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Anger Management Education in Chicago, explains to Verywell Health. "Labeling our feelings has been found to reduce our anger."

As reported by NPR in March, "23% of people surveyed in a Gallup Poll admitted feeling enraged a lot in 2022." According to Verywell Health, as revealed in a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, "intense emotion has been associated with inflammation, digestive issues, and a higher risk of heart attacks. Even brief periods of anger can harm blood vessels for up to 40 minutes."

Whatever way you look at it, finding a pathway to positivity as we move forward in this confrontational world we find ourselves in could be a herculean task.

Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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