Matthew McConaughey and U.S. surgeon general chat about loneliness

The U.S. surgeon general met with Austin's Ambassador of Chill on the University of Texas campus Wednesday to talk about loneliness and mental health.

What's happening: Vivek Murthy is on a nationwide college campus tour to encourage social connection — with friends, classmates, colleagues and loved ones — as a way to combat an epidemic of loneliness.

What they're saying: "We are all the only ones we're stuck with no matter what company we keep," actor and UT professor Matthew McConaughey said during a conversation with Murthy in the Texas Union Theater. "It takes work to get along with ourselves. 'McConaughey, buddy, I'm stuck with you and we have to learn to get along.'"

• "You have more pressure on you than any generation before," McConaughey, who talked about his own bout of loneliness as a teenager, told them. "The world is saying, 'Let's get it on paper, what's the math of what you're going to do?' This is a time to dream and try things out."

The bottom line: The event ended with Murthy encouraging the packed house of students to pull out their cellphones and write a quick note of gratitude to somebody in their lives.