Why don’t people seem to like me?

I’m 23M. Not talking about dating, only friendships. I just want to understand why people generally seem to dislike me. :(

I’m certainly not the most exciting or the most attractive guy out there, so I don’t expect people to be flocking to me, but I think I am fun and pleasant to be around…I’m certainly not perfect but I don’t understand why I struggle so much to meet people that actually enjoy my company. All of the people who know me well tell me that I’m incredibly kind and loyal and that they like that about me. I like being nice to people, I like talking to people, I like helping people. I have a job (not a great one but one I like), I have hobbies (granted, some are “weird” but I don’t think they’re off-putting), I have goals, it’s not like I am a complete loser or anything. I am also autistic, I’m sure this doesn’t make things any easier for me because large gatherings with strangers are hard for me, I don’t know if that could be contributing to my difficulties or what.

It just seems like whenever I talk to people, they either 1) want out of the conversation as quickly as possible or 2) only want to talk about themselves and have no interest in getting to know me. I do like hearing people talk about themselves but it’s got to be a 2 way street, you know? I want to make friends, not just be the person that people talk at when they feel like it. I’m really getting discouraged. Feels like I’m exhausting all my resources. I know making friends has to be natural, but I have to put in some effort too right? Well, I’m trying to do that, but it’s not getting me anywhere.

Does anyone have any tips on making friends or just making yourself more likable? Am I missing something or doing something wrong here?

TL;DR I’m basically an outcast and struggling hard to make new friends but I genuinely don’t understand why. Could use advice.

Submitted October 25, 2021 at 09:15AM by GlumBison5819 https://ift.tt/3CjnOWq