Okay. Let me think about this a little. Time for a bit of a heart to heart.
I myself have had confidence issues most of my life. I have had genuine interest in around ten girls 2003 - 2011. Not that many actually. One per year that catches my interest?
Most of those are what I would call genuinely nice girls (I still have contact with 90%), however from that list I made almost no effort to make them my girlfriend at any time - with none of them. What proves more disappointing for me but positive for the nice guy effect - from that list I can undoubtedly say ~seven were also genuinely interested in return. I either didn't believe it at the time or simply didn't have the guts to make a move.
Proof that the nice guy can at first create attraction, the attraction falls away in laters stages when eagerness to please and/or doormat syndrome kicks in. Lack of backbone and ability to defend his opinion/what he wants. Girls will become bored, no longer attracted. It really makes sense if you think about it. Who wants what could really be described as a wimp?
In the past two years I've had a considerably larger increase of women showing interest in me - whereby I have had no interest in return. This has simply been due to my change that started coming into effect end 2008.
For a long time I felt that I couldn't find anybody, I was undesirable etc etc until I realizes how sad the situation was. People I like actually like me back and I am feeling sorry for myself? Absurd!?? Waiting for something to come to you doesn't do the trick. I actually had no reason to feel this way, I just needed to grow a pair.
I feel I am by no means where I want to be yet, but I've overcome a lot of personal doubt, insecurities and uncertainties. Building the persona that can fill a hole in someones life, without bringing baggage into the equation.
I am sharing this in the effort to get across the fact that if you are not comfortable with yourself that saying of nobody can be comfortable with you is highly relevant and true. Today I am not looking for a girl to fulfill my life, approve it, or even like me, rather for someone that wants to be part of it to compliment it and share in it. I really don't need every girl that I meet to think I am the best person in the world. That was a key mindset change.
I have had the pleasure to meet some wonderful people, so my message in the end is meet new people through friends or other shared interest groups. Make the effort to communicate and spend time with people to get to know them. Things happen faster than you'd expect. That's been my experience of late anyways.
When you do not have a need to be completed or approved by the significant other you are interested in things will become surprising. The sheer volume of interest gets generated increases when you loose that cowardly vibe. Primitive stuff going on here in the mating ritual.
I agree that friends with benefits should be avoided. I can go into deep detail of why I think that is a bad idea, but I shall rather not. Best advise would be to actually enforce friendship barriers between opposite sex friends. It is very easy to blur the lines and for things to happen. When things happen and you or the other person eventually finds someone else it will also cause much unneeded drama. Keep friendships friendship, or at best, romantic friendships (see wikipedia).
So when it comes to the general conversation of this thread, I have certainly felt cynical in the past, however in the last few years that has indeed changed. It really is up to each individual person to determine how happy they are within a relationship. I learnt that when things began to change for me when my perception and understanding of myself changed. I can be happy with who I am!
Have fun, enjoy it. Do not compromise on values, but do not compromise your own right to life. Stand up for yourself, and keep yourself happy. Life is short, live it by the points that please you. That is why compatability is also very important. If person A enjoys Saturday games of tennis/squash and the other sitting inside all day playing Aion well, something may just break there.
When it comes to the best relationships nice guys are more than half the way there, they have the difficult part of genuinely caring pre-installed within their characters. They need to simply learn to aim that caring at themselves and not allow themselves to be abused by others. Also not to underestimate their own value and desirability in this world.