A landmark new study has found for some of those living in Australia's ethnic melting pots, not trusting those who are different could be having a negative impact.
We're often told to 'love thy neighbour' to build a more harmonious society, but when it comes to multicultural communities, it seems concerns about 'others' are rife - and it's impacting peoples' mental health.
And it appears it's because they don't trust each other.
The study, Neighbourhood Ethnic Diversity and Mental Health in Australia, is the first of its kind to empirically examine the effects of ethnic diversity in an area on mental health. It was published this month in the journal Health Economics.
Based on 16 years of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, up to 2016, it found a lack of trust in 'others' is having a negative impact.
Respondents to the HILDA surveys were asked how often they felt "nervous", "down", and "so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer them up".
