A problem shared is a problem halved

Meaning: Talking about difficulties with others makes them easier to bear and to solve.

Origin: A saying about the relief of confiding in someone. Its origin has not been firmly traced, and sources disagree on how old it is.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German

  • French: Un problème partagé est un problème à moitié résolu (literally: A problem shared is a problem half solved)
  • Spanish: Un problema compartido es un problema reducido a la mitad (literally: A problem shared is a problem halved)
  • Japanese: 悩みは分かち合えば半分になる (Nayami wa wakachiaeba hanbun ni naru) (literally: If you share your worries, they become half)
  • German: Geteiltes Leid ist halbes Leid (literally: Shared sorrow is half the sorrow)

More proverbs about Communication

From our idioms

Browse all idioms →

← Back to Proverbs