sympathy is a knife
there's no argument that confidence is attractive. so i do think it makes sense that guys like me try to hide their insecurity from the public. people are probably biologically poised to like others who have a steely nature and don't crack easily because they were better at hunting wildlife or making decision that meant the survival of the species.
but even in the present day, i think people generally find it hard to be around someone who's constantly mopey, so even if you seem fake or desperate for trying to hide your insecurity, it might be a good thing to do for the sake of other people. it's OK, you don't have to comfort me, i know it's not such a big deal! as i am right now, i'd rather you think of me as being boastfully shallow and insecure over giving you the burden of having to comfort me directly (unless we're close friends).
besides, i don't want to hear "at least you tried". sometimes i think it is worse to try and fail than to not try at all. it's not like it's just a matter of effort, but you're putting significant years of your life and thousands of dollars into it to only to fall off. to act like you're happy as you are now is to try to avoid the judgement or reality that you made bad decisions, didn't put in enough effort, or simply aren't skilled enough.
alphas are guys who pretend to be better than they are even though it's obvious they're insecure. sigmas are the same except instead of pretending to be better, they pretend to not care at all. i think i fall into that camp. it's really best for your mental health to just be a beta male.