Dr. Aditi Nerurkar

And yet you look around and everyone is feeling that too, based on the data, right? 21 people in a room of 30 are experiencing these things, and yet they feel alone in their experience. So we are experiencing all of these things, but we don't talk about it for lots of reasons. Blaming ourselves. We feel a sense of shame and guilt. And so conversation is really the antidote.

And yet you look around and everyone is feeling that too, based on the data, right? 21 people in a room of 30 are experiencing these things, and yet they feel alone in their experience. So we are experiencing all of these things, but we don't talk about it for lots of reasons. Blaming ourselves. We feel a sense of shame and guilt. And so conversation is really the antidote.

And yet you look around and everyone is feeling that too, based on the data, right? 21 people in a room of 30 are experiencing these things, and yet they feel alone in their experience. So we are experiencing all of these things, but we don't talk about it for lots of reasons. Blaming ourselves. We feel a sense of shame and guilt. And so conversation is really the antidote.

And we also know based on the data that one of your prior guests, Bob Waldinger, one of my colleagues from Harvard is the head of a study that has been running for 75 long years, the longest running study on happiness and found that of anything else, not money, not your wild travel stories, of all these things that people think are gonna make you happy, the quality of human relationships is the greatest predictor of your happiness.

And we also know based on the data that one of your prior guests, Bob Waldinger, one of my colleagues from Harvard is the head of a study that has been running for 75 long years, the longest running study on happiness and found that of anything else, not money, not your wild travel stories, of all these things that people think are gonna make you happy, the quality of human relationships is the greatest predictor of your happiness.

And we also know based on the data that one of your prior guests, Bob Waldinger, one of my colleagues from Harvard is the head of a study that has been running for 75 long years, the longest running study on happiness and found that of anything else, not money, not your wild travel stories, of all these things that people think are gonna make you happy, the quality of human relationships is the greatest predictor of your happiness.

And you don't meet a best friend overnight, right? Like you chat with your barista, you chat with someone at the grocery store, dry cleaning, the drugstore. And over time, it's one awkward hello after another, after another, until you kind of fall into friendships and relationships that one day could be part of this study. One of the greatest relationships of your life.

And you don't meet a best friend overnight, right? Like you chat with your barista, you chat with someone at the grocery store, dry cleaning, the drugstore. And over time, it's one awkward hello after another, after another, until you kind of fall into friendships and relationships that one day could be part of this study. One of the greatest relationships of your life.

And you don't meet a best friend overnight, right? Like you chat with your barista, you chat with someone at the grocery store, dry cleaning, the drugstore. And over time, it's one awkward hello after another, after another, until you kind of fall into friendships and relationships that one day could be part of this study. One of the greatest relationships of your life.

So the Surgeon General snapshot paints a bleak picture. It shows that parents are struggling and quite badly. In this snapshot of data, 50% of parents, almost 50% of parents say that they are overwhelmed with stress on most days. 65% of parents are lonely. 77% of single parents are lonely. And we know that from prior data, 75% of parents have parenting burnout.

So the Surgeon General snapshot paints a bleak picture. It shows that parents are struggling and quite badly. In this snapshot of data, 50% of parents, almost 50% of parents say that they are overwhelmed with stress on most days. 65% of parents are lonely. 77% of single parents are lonely. And we know that from prior data, 75% of parents have parenting burnout.

So the Surgeon General snapshot paints a bleak picture. It shows that parents are struggling and quite badly. In this snapshot of data, 50% of parents, almost 50% of parents say that they are overwhelmed with stress on most days. 65% of parents are lonely. 77% of single parents are lonely. And we know that from prior data, 75% of parents have parenting burnout.

And I think that based on all of this data, my hunch is actually that this data, as shocking as it may seem, is actually underreported for all of the reasons you and I have talked about. Feeling a sense of guilt or shame, feeling like, oh, I can do it all. I'm not stressed. This is just what parenting is. And so people aren't coming forward and actually sharing that, yes, in fact, I am stressed.

And I think that based on all of this data, my hunch is actually that this data, as shocking as it may seem, is actually underreported for all of the reasons you and I have talked about. Feeling a sense of guilt or shame, feeling like, oh, I can do it all. I'm not stressed. This is just what parenting is. And so people aren't coming forward and actually sharing that, yes, in fact, I am stressed.

And I think that based on all of this data, my hunch is actually that this data, as shocking as it may seem, is actually underreported for all of the reasons you and I have talked about. Feeling a sense of guilt or shame, feeling like, oh, I can do it all. I'm not stressed. This is just what parenting is. And so people aren't coming forward and actually sharing that, yes, in fact, I am stressed.

I'm surprised that it's only 50 percent of parents because I'm a parent and I know all of the science and I'm still stressed simply because we need a cultural shift. When we're talking about parenting stress, of course, we need a cultural shift. We need better policies, child care, parental leave, all of these things.

I'm surprised that it's only 50 percent of parents because I'm a parent and I know all of the science and I'm still stressed simply because we need a cultural shift. When we're talking about parenting stress, of course, we need a cultural shift. We need better policies, child care, parental leave, all of these things.

I'm surprised that it's only 50 percent of parents because I'm a parent and I know all of the science and I'm still stressed simply because we need a cultural shift. When we're talking about parenting stress, of course, we need a cultural shift. We need better policies, child care, parental leave, all of these things.

And while people are working on that, we also need a cognitive shift within ourselves to think about parenting. And the Surgeon General says it beautifully, parenting is sacred work. And another phrase which I loved in his report was that, simply put, caregivers need care too. And so my solutions are more on the individual basis while the cultural shift is happening.

And while people are working on that, we also need a cognitive shift within ourselves to think about parenting. And the Surgeon General says it beautifully, parenting is sacred work. And another phrase which I loved in his report was that, simply put, caregivers need care too. And so my solutions are more on the individual basis while the cultural shift is happening.