Someone's already said it, but starting with something like meetup.com just to give you that initial confidence boost and practice socializing would be perfect.

Someone's already said it, but starting with something like meetup.com just to give you that initial confidence boost and practice socializing would be perfect. Once you've gotten used to seeing, talking, and shooting the shit with other humans once a week I think everything else that you want (meeting girls, making close friendships) will develop naturally. Also, because you're in the bay, I can make a few personal recommendations: - Start rock climbing. If you're near south-bay, hit up Planet Granite. If you're in the city, maybe Dog-Patch. You'll not only become stronger and more physically confident, but you'll also learn how to socialize, meet, and make friends with strangers. - Check our your local hacker-spaces. Hackerdojo is probably a good bet, given your location. There's usually classes or meetups for a particular interest on weekends which are well attended. At the worst, you'll show up and learn something. Perhaps one last bit of advice: try to learn to be happy by yourself. This means enjoying the time you spend reading, learning, walking, etc, and not spending that time contemplating how you'd be happier if you were with friends. Gradually, this poise and contentment will transform itself into a very attractive self-confidence :)