If you could actually solve the problem, it might be.

You know how some men feel pressured to never express certain emotions? A lot of women feel the same way. If you're angry or frustrated, you're being bitchy, hysterical, or hormonal. If you're upset, scared, or sad, you're being a weak, incompetent, or useless woman (a label that's hard to throw off once it's applied).

But maybe you have someone you trust, who you can go to to express these taboo emotions. It's helpful, because you get to say things that you normally have to hide with a cheerful facade. And sometimes it's nice to have people confirm that your negative emotions are reasonable, given the circumstances. There are a lot of forces out there telling us that anything but cheerful sweetness is a sign of uniquely female weakness, sometimes you want to verify that you're not the only person who feels that's bullshit.

And it's worth noting that by the time you find a private place and a person you trust, you've probably given the issue some consideration. So they've given the issue less thought than you, which means their advice is often stuff you've already considered.

Think of it like this: say a guy's feeling really bad about a break-up. He feels like he can't acknowledge he's feeling hurt and sad all the time. So he goes to a friend and says, "Hey, I know this is really un-manly. But I'm really sad right now, I'm worried I'll never be loved again. I've tried dating again, it doesn't do anything. I can't find anyone who makes me feel this way. Is this a normal reaction to a break-up?"

Saying, "have you tried OKCupid?" is probably not as helpful as saying, "No, that's not un-manly or weird. You went through a bad break-up, it's normal to hurt."