We don't have enough information to help you. But, you should know that for most people social skills come somewhat intuitively. Some folks (and probably a lot

We don't have enough information to help you. But, you should know that for most people social skills come somewhat intuitively. Some folks (and probably a lot of Hacker News users) have to actively cultivate and manually think through social interactions a bit more than the general public. If you think you're bad at social interactions, there may be a few things going on: - You're not actually that bad at them, but they do make very anxious. Because you see that social interaction does not make other people quite so anxious, you assume you're doing something wrong. - You're actually not very good at social interaction. - Some combination of the two. Anyhow, the best thing to do is try to assess what category you fit into. Find some friends you trust who can actually give you objective advice, and most importantly, be calm and confident enough that people will actually tell you the truth. For many people, a difficult question such as "Am I really awkward socially?" can be just as difficult to answer as "am I fat?" ie, most people will not really answer that question honestly, because the average person would only ask that question for the purposes of being reassured. The point here is to try to foster a conversation with someone who knows you well, who might be brave enough to give you honest advice. I mention anxiety specifically, since anxiety can short-circuit most social interactions. If you're worrying about how you're coming off, then you're not focusing on the other person. And if you're not focusing on the other person, then anyone would be liable to misread and misunderstand. Take cues, ask questions, and make the conversation more about them than about you. That will get you a long way. Most people are will to forgive minor social faux pas if you're kind, if you're genuinely interested in talking to them. If you're only 18, then I have good news for you: you're not finished learning about yourself, or about people, and you're almost certainly going to be much more socially capable in your future. Just maybe not your immediate future. :)