Guys have the don’t-ask-for-directions gene, and relationships are no exception.

We typically ask for help with girls about as much as we ask for help when we’re lost — not very often. Sometimes, you won’t even know if two people are dating until they show up together then kiss in front of you. This can lead to some awkward moments:

“When did you two get together?”

“Oh, about a month ago.”

“… Ah.”

However, the situation radically changes when we find out one of our friends is romantically interested in someone. The playful teasing, unwanted advice and encouragement to ask her out won’t stop until he finally works up the courage to talk to her.

While women ask their friends for specific advice with how to approach a guy, guys often don’t ask at all; they are just bombarded with generic advice anyway.

But after you know a couple is together, everything changes.

Guys can be perfectionists, which lead to frantic, last-minute text messages asking questions about small details, from “When should I call?” to “Should I buy her flowers?” Once I even received a phone call from a friend who had sneaked off to the bathroom on a first date so he could ask if I thought he should pay. (To guys out there, the answer is “yes.”)

The questioning usually only lasts for the first few months. As a guy becomes more and more comfortable with a woman, there is less to ask about. When the questions pick up again, it means the relationship is near its end.

Break-ups are the one time when guys have a detailed chat about their situation. We want to lay our situation out for someone else and get a second opinion. The last thing we want to do is make a mistake — lest our precious egos be harmed — and break up only to regret it later. Questions like, “Should we break up?,” “What should I say?” and “When should I do it?” get asked a lot. If only there were a good answer.

As the saying goes, girls talk. Guys do too, but it’s more to make sure they’re doing everything right than anything else.

Reach contributing columnist Gavin Verhey at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.