Is it normal to feel like a robot and not experience genuine emotions?

Apologies for upcoming essay. Part of this is just me needing somewhere to write my true feelings out, so thank you in advance. And if someone else finds this and feels less alone in feeling this way, that'd be nice too.

I don't emotionally connect to anyone (exception being my parents and only them) and feel like I am going through the motions based on memorization of social interactions. I enjoy listening to other people talk so I can learn the patterns and reactions and "catch phrases". I used to just sit and listen to other adults talk when my mum took me out on her social outings when I was younger and it was fun to take in the information without having to make an effort into interacting, just like how listening to lectures and documentaries is effortless since you just sit there but at the same time they are intriguing because you are learning something. After enough observation, interacting with people can be fun too when you get to test out what you observe. But I catch myself thinking "it's ok if I test this response on this person and it fails because I can just start over with someone else who is the same 'type' as them" as if certain groups of people may as well be the same person. People (with a few exceptions) seem the same; all my friends can be substituted with someone else as long as I put in the time and effort. Even I can be substituted easily. As long as you are curious about someone and act polite and considerate based on social norms, you will make friends. To deepen the bond you confide in each other and spend more time together. And you build trust by offering to help them. They'll respond positively and you'll feel good. At this point it seems like they are unique and special but you could have picked any random person with a certain amount of shared interests and developed the same level of intimacy. There is a time investment so friends that you spend more on WILL have a certain amount of value. Regardless, I feel like it's hard to truly think of my friends as being special and as a result I don't genuinely care for them the way I care for my parents. It could be argued that my parents could have almost been anyone and it really doesn't matter that they are the specific people who are my parents now. I accept that. I admit I only care because they happened to be the people whose child I am through random chance. Because they have made sacrifices for me without asking for anything in return, I am touched and grateful so I want them to be happy. If someone hurt them, I would feel actual rage and want to hurt the attacker back. I also get angry on their behalf which I can't do for anyone else. If my dearest friend was hurt I would feel nothing. But I will try to look like I care. The same goes for my other family members, even my grandparents (but it makes me feel guilty to say it). Even if my best friend went bankrupt or was killed I wouldn't feel a smidgen of sorrow. Though I would still go through the motions of offering them a place to stay if they were in trying times and try to help them look for help and even listen to their problems so they can feel emotional relief. But I don't do these things because I feel for them. I'd do them because it's the moral thing to do when someone is helpless and because I like the principle of being a "good person".

Part of why I only care about my parents is probably due to childhood imprinting in addition to being exposed to them consistently. During my impressionable period, they were pretty much the only constants in my life. I moved around a lot as a kid (each time geographically distant from the previous area) so I never imprinted on other people because they all disappeared and refreshed with new faces every 2-5 years. I remember genuinely liking people in elementary school and early middle school to the point of crying when saying goodbye but after grade 6 that went away. I think I was most alive at ages 5-12. At that time I was really living immersed in the moment which is why my fondest memories are all from that period. Everything afterwards became increasingly emotionally detached. Just for reference, I am now 22. I go out sometimes alone and sometimes with company, don't have trouble talking to strangers, and have friends although I don't have anyone I can share my true feelings with (not even my parents) because it seems selfish to rant. I am also not prepared to become a pariah by revealing to people that I don't actually care for them. Some readers may immediately dismiss me because of my relative youth and that's ok. I may be foolish and blind (I hope that's the case and that I will see the truth eventually) but this experience is real to me right now.

Except for the feelings of surprise, curiosity, and fear, my emotional reactions to people now are almost completely "decided" and acted out rather than genuine. But when I'm tired and can't "turn on" the acting looks really bad and eventually people will realize something is off. Then I try to energize myself into acting better or give up and find someone new to start over with if the damage is irreparable. I envy people who truly care about others because they seem so animated and because of their genuine emotional involvement, they can truly connect with people and create intense memories. I do feel lonely when I'm not busy, which makes me think I might have hope because loneliness itself stems from the desire to connect with people, does it not? However I also fear I simply desire the experience of being close with others for selfish reasons (entertainment, ego fulfillment) and that I'll never truly learn to feel for other people. Do others feel this way but don't say it because it sounds callous? Am I psychologically unwell? Or is this just a different way of living?