“Dr. Ruth’s strategies are essential for building the kinds of bonds that will reduce loneliness and transform lives.” –Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

An urgent guide to combating loneliness, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and orphan of the Holocaust appointed the first-ever "Loneliness Ambassador" in the country.

When Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded the alarm that loneliness “represents an urgent public health concern”—exacerbated by social media overuse, the residual effects of the pandemic, and the lack of meaningful relationships—trusted therapist Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer knew that her unique perspective and expertise could help. Long-beloved for breaking stigmas around sexual problems, Dr. Ruth has made it her new mission to help individuals break free from the bonds of hopelessness and isolation. 

We are social animals. We have a shared desire to connect and create lasting relationships with the people around us. But the heaviness of loneliness can make this feel impossible. Dr. Ruth, with Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert and longtime collaborator Pierre Lehu, tackles the subject with compassion and her trademark no-nonsense approach. She provides practical and creative strategies for finding friends, community, and intimacy.

And it’s anchored by Dr. Ruth’s own story, from the horrific loneliness of losing her family in the Holocaust, to living in an orphanage, to rebuilding her life in America, working her way up from maid to world-renowned sex-therapist. With her tips on navigating family dynamics, developing a fulfilling social and romantic life, and using technology in healthy ways, you will find wisdom for any stage of life.

The Joy of Connections isn’t just an action-oriented guidebook on overcoming loneliness from one of the most well-respected therapists of our time; it’s the vital kick in the pants we all need in order to start seeking—and finding—deep and lasting human connections via 100 concrete and innovative opportunities that can be put to use immediately.

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer has been breaking stigmas for more than forty years, beginning in the 1980s with her nationally syndicated radio show Sexually Speaking. She has authored or co-authored forty-seven books on many topics and is now New York’s Ambassador to Loneliness, the first such position in the United States. Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and the author or co-author of numerous books. Pierre Lehu has collaborated with Dr. Ruth for four decades.