Loneliness is a deadly epidemic, but there are treatments, the former surgeon general of the United States said Wednesday: finding real, face-to-face connections with people we love.

“It’s worth considering carving time out in your day to be with people, without your phone,” Vivek Murthy, who served under President Obama, said in an appearance Wednesday on the NPR show On Point. “Just spending five minutes with someone who you trust, who you love, can be incredibly important.”

He added: "What happens in many of our lives, mine included, is that our phones too often distract us from being fully present in conversation."

Our show Wednesday looked at the effect on loneliness in our modern lives. Researchers say it’s as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

There’s science behind the devastating health effects, Murthy explained: We evolved to be social beings, and when we’re alone, we’re in a state of stress. That can lead to higher inflammation, which leads to disease. Loneliness also affects how we do at school and work.

And even though we might feel some sort of counterfeit connection to others via social media, when we're scrolling through email at the dinner table or on social media at a family gathering, we may “end up coming away from it feeling even more disconnected and worse off than we were before,” Murthy told guest host Jane Clayson.