I can't make close friends

hey,
I m 18 now, but i had been facing this situation since i was 10. When i finally discovered this, i thought there is a problem with me, but i decided to get over it, and did it.
FOR ME, ITS GOOD TO HAV A NUMBER OF GOOD FRIENDS THAN A SINGLE CLOSE FRIEND.
Even at present i m in this situation of not having close friends, but i enjoy my privacy, my space. I hav learned to adjust , I hope some day there will b a time there will b a lots of people for me to choose to b close friends.

I have the same situation here. I have like 200 friends that I regularly talk to but none of them are hanging out with me.

I have people say that I am one of their best friends but still, I dont hang out with them after school and such.

I am ok with this though because I prefer it like this, I am more like the shy and quiet guy that says a sentence in each conversation we are having.

But my advice is that when you have time, you call them and ask them to go out and do something. If they dont follow up then you have to do it. ask if they are free the next weekend and if yes, you call them and you go out. then it should be natural that you go out again if it was fun

I know EXACTLY how you feel.
I thought I had a best friend but as of late I can't make sense of it. She helped me organize my 21st birthday party but an hour before guests were set to arrive, she said "sorry I'm not in the mood to be around people so I'm going to head home".
Anyway she's pretty much deleted herself from my life. I don't care anymore...I've told myself it's her loss.
I think the problem you and I face is that we have friends which belong more to other groups but for some reason we haven't become part of those groups.
I'm just so tired of trying to win people over. Making friends has always been harder for me than any other social thing like getting a boyfriend. I'm starting to feel like I'm not worth other people's time if they aren't getting something back like sex and moral support. Sometimes I even question why he's with me because I hardly have any friends. I have a circle of high school friends who I see when I arrange something, yet when we're together they'll talk about the things they did last week which I wasn't invited to. I don't know how to break away from this mentality and start making friends who want to spend time with me and like me for who I am instead of feeling obliged to see me.

This post is how I feel right now. I've had a couple friends over the years here and there that I considered close. But I usually feel at a distance in a way even from people I consider my friends. Right now I just graduated from college and have people I can call to hang out with, but it usually consists of drinking or doing "something" like seeing a movie, eating somewhere, etc. I'm so envious of people who seem to have such close bonds with non-family members. I've heard people say friends can be family, and I've only felt that slightly before, but not for a long time. I think about this all the time, and have been unsuccessful for so long making a close friend that I'm about to give up. Maybe being alone is the best thing? I know that's not true but it's so hard getting rejected by people who seem to not be interested.

Im exactly the same. Ive had lots of close friends in the past, but i suppose it was different. I used to make friends with people who also wanted to make friends. The people i am trying to make friends with now all have lots of close friends, so they are not very affected with whether i become their friend or not. So its all one sided. I have been very very shy and i am definatly over coming that. But even now after about 5 months of being 'friends' with these people (but not knowing any of them propally etc) i still have not really got any where. I think the only solution is to make yourself invited to things they go to (ask people whats happening, go along with them etc) and be extreemly extrovert and happy. Leave an impression and have a laugh- because thats how you become completely comfortable with people and eventually become close. Im going to try it. Good luck.

making friends is hard out of the school setting-- it seems much easier at high school, and college-- once people settled down in their job and family, they don't "hangout" as much-- as you said, they only do "networking"-- everything is work related. i don't know your age, but i have the same problem-- and i am 40something and single. have been experiencing the same as you do for a few yrs. i did a few things:
(1) got a pet
(2) join a study group
(3) plan holiday and weekend ahead-- do excursion on my own
........
i hope this help. and i also would like to have feed back as well to see how u do, and what way u find more effective.

You are definitely not the only person going through this. Surprisingly enough, you don't meet other people in your situation because... they're sitting at home, alone!
I think the problem is that people get used to interacting with the world through the TV and such. It brings everything to you, and you can be completely passive.
You need to fight that pattern. Invite people over, don't expect to be invited. Start conversations with strangers in the market or park. Volunteer at the animal shelter. Be brave. Get out of your comfort zone. Do something that makes you feel awkward everyday.

Be your own best friend first.

That's exactly me! I only have two 'real' friends, and only one of those has ever seen me outside school. I have developed a tolerance for solitude, but I do wish I had more friends.

i see this post is a little old but what the hell xD

yeah ! definitely other people have this problem!

you're not the only one.... problem now days is probably people spending to much time in social networking sites meeting virtual friends they will never ever see in real live!

so, best thing to do is meet people in real life and it's true sometimes it's hard to make real close friends. it will take some time :/

I hear U. I need to get out more - but finding a social group can be difficult.