I don't think this is abnormal, but the immediate reaction for many people upon meeting a person that they don't know is rejection. The immediate reaction for being invited to an event, etc is also rejection.
I have personally experienced inviting a friend group out to something, then watching them talk among each other, seeing what the others will decide, then one by one saying no. What's funny is that I have also flipped this. By convincing a single person, everyone else became convinced and bought in.
I've noticed that many people tend to be pretty insular and stick to their preset groups. When someone new (like me) comes in, they'll look to the leader and/ or each other to decide what to do. I want to learn how to put myself in that leader role and be able to steer opinion toward people in a group going along with my decisions.
Additionally, I tend to get invited out to things pretty sparingly. I'm a very independent person, so I don't mind this, but I would like to at least get invited to things more often.
Any tips/ thoughts on how to do this? Thanks in advance.