How can I learn to open up to people?

Thanks for the A2A. You should similar to my partner. He too is somewhat social, and generally finds it easy to converse with people on a casual level. But no one, other than me, actually knows him. No one knows what he is really like, or what to expect from him. No one knows his true feelings about any given situation or person. For the most part, I think he prefers it that way. But he even keeps his parents at arm's length, and I don't think it's very healthy or rewarding for them to have a distant relationship with their son, and vice versa. In terms of what to do, you've got a few options. Since you know that you have trouble in this area, you may want to engage the assistance of a counsellor, as they're trained in helping people with these sorts of emotional obstacles in life. If you're unable or unwilling to do that, perhaps try the following: - If you're in a romantic relationship, try sharing your personal feelings with each other once a night. If you're not in a relationship, pick someone in your family who you trust to connect with on a deeper level, and maybe meet for coffee once a week to talk about who you are. Part of that is learning more about the other person too, and that is an important part of intimacy, and the reward for your effort in putting yourself out there, and sharing who you are with someone. If you make sure you schedule time with someone specifically for communication, you'll have no excuses - you'll have to open up, or you'll be sitting there in silence! - Part of this process is learning more about yourself too, so take some time to hang with yourself and think about the ways that you want to be with other people - Why do you want to connect? What are you missing in your relationships with people? Often not wanting to be emotionally close with people can be part of a bigger issue, so think about what could be causing your reluctance to share who you are, and work on that too. Hope this helps. My partner, like I said, is pretty close off, but he at least is very open and honest and intimate with me. All you need is one person you love and trust to really connect with. Good luck!

Ask them about their family lives, their sisters, brothers, parents, hometown, which college they went to, why they moved, if they are single or married, etc... And, if you want to trust others, be trustworthy. Be genuinely interested in other people and share with them what they share with you.

I am the same way, and have realized that I am an introvert.  In my opinion I dont see anything wrong with it,  since I do open up to very few people at all.  I guess I am like that because I fear getting very poor knee jerk advice or misguided advice.  I like to think out my own problems.  I dont trust many others with my personal thoughts or problems because I know that most people like to gossip and exaggerate their stories when passing on what they know.