Is it ok that my guy friend does this?

So my guy friend is 22 and has never had a girlfriend, well he was depressed because of this. So I made him a deal, I told him that I grant him permission to tell people that he had a girlfriend that was a few months long and that it occurred when he was 19, so it doesn't make him look odd. Anyways, he has gone along with it and now he is a happier person. He has thanked me and my friends think I did a good job. My question, is, how come other guys don't think of this? Why don't they fake it til they make it, instead of being sad?