VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Research shows many people in Metro Vancouver are isolated, not welcoming and downright unfriendly at times.

SFU is putting on a week’s worth of events to try and fix that.

Shauna Sylvester with the Alone Together: Connecting in the City summit says we live in a closed-off area.

“Seventy-seven per cent of people living in high rises would not ask their neighbour for a favour,” she says. “Twenty-four to 36-year-olds have a really hard time connecting. In my own community I know that friends that have come to Vancouver have a really tough time breaking into social networks.”

So how does this hurt us?

“We live in a disaster zone with the potential for a major earthquake in this city,” Sylvester explains. “Think of what happens when you don’t have strong community bonds. Look at New Orleans. When you don’t have strong community bonds, the society disintegrates when a disaster comes.”

So smile at your neighbour,  she says. It is time to get over the awkwardness of social interactions and reach out to one another.