Originally Posted by
polaris 
Im afraid that, especially as a man, that it will be perceived as weakness and being needy. ..and be exploited. Its hard for me to show emotion.
One of the hardest social lessons that I struggle with is that if another person rejects me because I'm honest, then it's for the best. I don't mean this in the way of those people who say things like "I'm a jerk, it's who I am!" and act terribly in the name of being honest. But I mean if I show my real heart or mind and someone walks away, it'll hurt now but less than it would in the long run if they stayed and I could never be real.
So yes, I empathize. It's not showing emotion that I'm afraid of, but I am afraid of showing weakness. I'm trying to get over that. As you note, it doesn't really lead to any good outcomes. I'm sure I missed a couple of potential relationships because I was too afraid to be openly interested.