I’m not sure what the thesis of this article really is. In my social circles when there’s a breakup people acknowledge it. If the person needs help we give it to him. Help him move past the old situation and help to find a new situation. They want to distraction we take them out and give him a distraction. We know the pain. We don’t want to emphasize the pain. If somebody expresses confusion, like if it’s their first real breakup, people go out of their way and give them advice. May not be good advice but they’re doing their best.

I think the articles kind of hinting at that in many cultures men don’t want to be a burden to their friends. And bringing their emotional baggage out in the open is burdening their friends if that problem. So they try to avoid it. Fair. Then the thesis of the article should be it’s okay to be a burden emotionally on your friends when you actually need it. That would be a good thesis. But the article wasn’t quite that articulate