blackomen
Member
When I was a teenager, I was quite shy and never had many friends. Now in college, I've discovered myself more and I actually enjoy socializing with people. Although I occasionally relapse into temporary shyness, I pretty much don't fear talking with new people anymore.
However, I find it very difficult to connect with the majority of people at a deeper level. I literally have maybe 1 or 2 "friends" I hang around regularly at this moment and countless acquaintances (easily in the 100's.) Something I've noticed is that I'm very poor at reading non-verbal communication from other people - I literally have extreme trouble getting in tune with another person's feelings unless he/she verbalizes it to me directly. I've been told by people that I'm perceived to be arrogant because I seem not to care how they're feeling (when in fact, I'm completely lost when it comes to reading their body language.)
Any ideas where to begin in improving my ability to "read" other people and develop deeper friendships or relationships? Many times, people don't seem interested in giving me a second chance when I "misread" them and come off as arrogant.
However, I find it very difficult to connect with the majority of people at a deeper level. I literally have maybe 1 or 2 "friends" I hang around regularly at this moment and countless acquaintances (easily in the 100's.) Something I've noticed is that I'm very poor at reading non-verbal communication from other people - I literally have extreme trouble getting in tune with another person's feelings unless he/she verbalizes it to me directly. I've been told by people that I'm perceived to be arrogant because I seem not to care how they're feeling (when in fact, I'm completely lost when it comes to reading their body language.)
Any ideas where to begin in improving my ability to "read" other people and develop deeper friendships or relationships? Many times, people don't seem interested in giving me a second chance when I "misread" them and come off as arrogant.