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Have you ever seen the YouTube video, It’s Not About the Nail? Hilarious. What makes it so funny is the fact that, while ridiculous, it’s actually not all that far from the truth.
That’s because we as humans have a deep-seated need for connection—regardless of our age, gender, or background. (Yes, men need it just as much as women). We need to feel heard, understood, and appreciated; and that feeling comes—in large part—from validation.
Validation is, in essence, the act of helping someone feel heard and understood. It has the power to calm fears and concerns, add a boost to joy and excitement, avoid or quickly resolve arguments, make people much more open to your advice, and much more. I stumbled across this skill a few years ago while working with a therapist, and it has had such a significant impact on my relationships (romantic, professional, and otherwise), that I wrote an entire book about it to try to pay it forward.
In other words: it’s awesome.
A Little Background
I dated a woman a while back who was great at listening but terrible at validating. As I would relate an exciting or difficult experience to her, she would often sit there with an unemotional look on her face and, when I finished talking, look at me as if to say, “Anything else?”
I hit a breaking point one evening after sharing something I was particularly excited about. As I finished the story (and calmed down a bit, as I tend to get quite animated in my storytelling), I looked at her and saw that same rather blank look on her face.
“Cool!” she said.
And that was it.
I paused for a moment longer, expecting her to follow up with “That’s so exciting!” or “Then what did you do?” or something that showed me she actually cared about what I had just shared. I had been talking for several minutes, so a one-word response was surely not all she was going to give.
Nothing.
She just looked back at me with that same plain (though pleasant) look on her face and eventually asked, “What?”
Okay. What was going on here? She listened to my story, didn’t interrupt, and seemed pleasant enough in her one-word response. What was I expecting?
What I was expecting—and quite literally craving at this point in our relationship—was validation. I wanted to feel like she saw, understood, and shared in my excitement. I wasn’t telling her the story because I liked talking; I was sharing it with her in the hope that she would see my excitement and get excited with me. I was hoping we would connect over the shared experience.
As I returned home that evening, I did as any healthy, productive, responsible human being would do and started mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. After a few minutes, I came across a link to an article on Business Insider titled “Science Says Lasting Relationships Come Down to 2 Basic Traits.” Intrigued, I clicked through and began to read.
The article discussed studies conducted by psychologist John Gottman who, for the previous four decades, had studied thousands of couples in an effort to figure out what makes relationships work. Seeking to better understand why some couples have healthy, lasting relationships while others do not, Gottman and his colleagues decorated their lab at the University of Washington to look like a beautiful bed and breakfast. They invited 130 newlywed couples to spend a day at the retreat and watched as they did what most people do on a typical weekend—prepare meals, chat, clean, and hang out.
As Gottman studied the interactions of each couple, he began to notice a pattern. Throughout the day, partners would make small, seemingly insignificant requests for connection from each other. For example, a husband would look out the window and say, “Wow, check out that car!” He wasn’t just commenting on the car, though; he was looking for his wife to respond with shared interest or appreciation. He was hoping to connect—however momentarily—over the car. Gottman calls these requests for connection “bids.”
The wife could then choose to respond positively (“Wow, that is nice!”), negatively (“Ugh, that’s hideous”), or passively (“Mmm, that’s nice, dear”). Gottman refers to positive and engaging responses as “turning toward” the bidder, and negative and passive responses as “turning away.” As it turned out, the way couples responded to these bids had a profound effect on their marital well-being.
Gottman found that couples who had divorced during the six-year follow-up period had “turn-toward bids” just 33 percent of the time—meaning only three in ten of their requests for connection were met with interest and compassion.
In contrast, couples who remained together after the six-year period had “turn-toward bids” 87 percent of the time. Nearly nine times out of ten, the healthy couples were meeting their partner’s emotional needs.
Now here’s the kicker: by observing these types of interactions, Gottman can apparently predict with up to 94 percent certainty whether couples—rich or poor, gay or straight, young or mature—will be broken up, together and unhappy, or together and happy, several years down the road.
As I sat at my computer reading this article, something clicked. A surge of insight and validation (with a hint of vindication) flooded my body. This is what my relationship was missing! I was indeed making multiple “bids” or requests for connection each day, but felt like my girlfriend only “turned toward me” a small fraction of the time.
I was familiar with the concept of validation by this time and had become quite adept at offering it to others, but I hadn’t yet learned to recognize when I needed it. As I read the article, I realized that what Gottman refers to as “turning toward” another individual is simply another way to describe validation—showing interest in and affirming the worth of another person’s comments, requests, or emotions.
This new insight opened my eyes to a clear reality: validation is critical for building healthy, satisfying relationships. What’s more, it’s critical for any relationship, romantic or otherwise. Thus, the core idea of my book is that, in order to become a “great listener,” you actually need to become a great validator.
How to Validate
Alright, enough storytelling. Let’s talk about how to validate effectively.
Effective validation has two main components:
- It identifies a specific emotion
- It offers justification for feeling that emotion
For example, let’s say you’re talking with your significant other at the end of a long day. You can tell something is bothering them, so you ask what’s up.
“Ugh, I can’t stand Kate!” they say. “You know this work event we’ve been planning? She keeps changing the plans and doesn’t seem to listen to—or care at all about—what the rest of us want to do. It’s driving me crazy!”
What would you say? While it may be tempting to jump in with advice or assurance, research has shown that choosing to validate first, before offering any advice or assurance, is often the best way to help. So, you might say something like:
“Serious? Ugh, that would drive me crazy!”
Notice how that response 1) identifies a specific emotion (feeling crazy), and 2) offers justification for feeling that emotion (you would feel the same way). By holding off on the advice for a moment, and instead showing that you hear and understand where your significant other is coming from, you demonstrate respect and appreciation in a way that will instantly strengthen your connection.
Sound easy? It is. But can it really make that much of a difference? You’d be surprised.
Validating Responses
There are, of course, countless ways to validate. As long as you show the other person that you recognize and accept their emotions, you’re validating:
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- “Wow, that would be confusing.”
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- “He really said that? I’d be angry too!”
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- “Ah, that is so sad.”
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- “You have every right to be proud; that was a major accomplishment!”
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- “I’m so happy for you! You’ve worked incredibly hard on this. It must feel amazing.”
Notice again how each of these responses refers to a specific emotion and shows some justification for or acceptance of it. Including both elements of validation shows the other person that you not only hear them, you understand them.
Invalidating Responses
Invalidating responses are often born out of good intentions, but they do anything but help. An invalidating response is anything that minimizes or dismisses another person’s feelings:
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- “You’ll be fine.”
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- “It could be worse!”
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- “At least it’s not [fill in the blank].”
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- “Just put a smile on your face and tough it out.”
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- “Don’t worry; things will work out.”
- “It’s not that big of a deal.”
More often than not, these types of responses actually make the situation worse. They suggest that the other person is being irrational and/or “shouldn’t” feel the way they are—the very opposite of how they’re hoping to feel by talking with you. Learn to catch these responses and change them into validating ones, and you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes.
Got it? Try it.
The next time someone shares something with you (an experience, fear, concern, hope, dream, etc.), try validating them. Get into the experience with them, identify the emotion they’re feeling, and show that you understand why they’re feeling it. It’s surprisingly connecting.
Ready to Master This Skill?
Dive deeper into validation with six free video lessons from the Extraordinary Relationships Master Course.
This is a broad, high-level look at validation. For a deeper dive, including dozens of real-life examples and actionable approaches to deepening your connection with others, check out the Extraordinary Relationships Master Course or my book, I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships.
Further Reading:
How to Validate Someone When You Don’t Agree With Them
How Do You Validate Someone When They’re Angry With You?
What To Do If Your Partner Isn’t Great at Listening or Validating
When Validation is *Not* the Answer
How to Validate: The Four-Step Method
Does Validation Lose Its Power When Both People Know About It?
24 thoughts on “Validation: The Most Powerful Relationship Skill You Were Never Taught”
How do you validate what someone is saying when you don’t agree with their opinion?
Hi Brandon,
Excellent question — I address this in my latest article: https://michaelssorensen.com/2019/04/09/how-to-validate-someone-when-you-dont-agree-with-them/
Michael
Several years ago I had this discussion with a manager at work who noticed that I was abrasive without trying to be. I was so quick to answer questions that I never validated a person’s perspective. He said you can literally agree with them by saying “Great point! Thanks for taking the time to explain that.” and the proceed to explain what you think that completely disagrees with their point. The power is in that you first acknowledged their perspective even if you disagreed.
Now for the stinging part to myself. I have done this well at work now that I know it, but terribly at home. Time to re-remember that powerful lesson I learned long ago and employ it in the home!
Hi Scott, thank you for sharing. I agree—it’s a powerful principle, and often quite simple to implement. I’m also right there with you when it comes to slipping up at home. I literally wrote a book on the topic, yet still find myself jumping into advice or assurance when my wife just wants to vent. It’s never a perfect science, but certainly becomes second-nature with time!
apparently, validation is not agreement.
Wow! Great article!!!
Reading is like a bulb lichting up!
I recognise the need of validation I have, but I am struggling myself to give.
I already made an effort to connect with people true compliments, but it sometimes had opposite effect… people feeling presured and disconnected.
This article made me understand the point of validating someone feeling not only an act!
Also curious about the next article regarding validation of solething you disagree.
Thanks, Nathalie! My apologies for the late reply—I thought I had already responded. If you haven’t seen it already, the article re: validating someone when you don’t agree is up: https://michaelssorensen.com/2019/04/09/how-to-validate-someone-when-you-dont-agree-with-them/
This is a great article and I’ve just got your book for my Kindle. I have one question though, what if you don’t receive the same validation in return? Like in your example at the beginning, your girlfriend wasn’t great at validating but you are the one who has learnt about this skill and putting it into practice. What if she doesn’t give you that same validation back?
Hi Connie,
Love the question. I’m actually nearing completion on an entire article addressing exactly that. If you haven’t already, I invite you to subscribe to be notified when it’s published. In short: it’s important that we share with the other person that validation is important to us, and invite them to learn more about it. That’s easier said than done, but my upcoming article explores several considerations and dives into a few non-threatening ways to strike up a conversation around it.
Michael
Question about this the work situation with Kate: So what if it would not drive me crazy? I would tend to say something like, “I hear that you’re feeling frustrated with the changeability and unpredictability of her actions, and that you don’t feel heard or like your needs are being met.”
Hi Deborah,
You could approach that situation in a few ways. In all of them, I recommend at least attempting to match the other person’s energy and respecting that they are feeling upset, even if you don’t think it’s something they should be upset by.
First, you could say something like, “Ugh…that’s frustrating” or “that’s hard…” (with as much empathy as you can muster). These responses don’t necessarily mean you would find the situation frustrating, but could simply mean that you acknowledge that *she’s* frustrated by it. This response could be thought of as essentially saying, “I see that that’s frustrating [to you],” without sounding patronizing and disconnected.
Alternatively, if you’re having a hard time feeling empathy or sympathy for her, you might try asking more questions to better understand the situation. For example: “What about it is frustrating to you?” Done tactfully, these curious questions show interest and concern, while helping you better understand the situation and hopefully develop greater empathy.
Thoughts?
Hi Connie,
That article is now live: https://michaelssorensen.com/2019/06/19/what-to-do-if-your-partner-isnt-great-at-listening-or-validating/
Light bulb! I immediately go into fix it mode when someone express sadness, frustration or alike emotions….I would be offended and/or confused when they snapped at me or shut me down and their “issue” would swing to being angry at me…their emotions would heighten and I would take offence. My thoughts were geez just trying to help… Validation and acknowledgment of feelings were words that swooped through my head in a recent interaction of me trying to explain my response and behaviour…sort of a ‘you don’t appreciate my advice” type of intonation…hence googled key words and found your article …long story short (too late)…thank you!
Hi Natalie,
How cool that those words popped into your head, and even cooler that you pursued them and came across my site. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Michael
How do you validate someone’s anxieties without also enabling them to continue in those anxieties because they’re harmful to them?
Hi Thomas,
Perhaps this article will offer some insight:
https://michaelssorensen.com/2019/10/24/what-do-i-do-if-my-partner-is-constantly-complaining/
The two situations are different (complaining vs. anxiety), but the approach may nevertheless be useful in setting boundaries and helping the other individual recognize that they need to take action to get out of their current state of mind. Let me know your thoughts.
Michael
Thank you. I have learned quite a lot from my relationships about invalidation and dis-validation, but only recently decided to read about validation. Just ordered your book too.
Hi Knox,
You are most welcome. Thank you for taking the time comment—I’ll be eager to hear what you think of the book.
Michael
Wow . . . I really appreciated this article!
It actually helped to validate the feelings I had when trying to connect with my 16 y.o. daughter and she was not leaning toward my “bids”. Perhaps I was trying too hard for that connection. I will ease off and try not to force it.
I also now realize I can validate my husband’s concerns and view points despite not agreeing with them.
Thank you!
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
Love hearing that. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Michael
Thank you so much for writing this book and sharing in this blog. I am a single mom of 2 daughters (17 and 15) our house over the past year has been so tense. The girls often fighting, stonewalling each other, bullying, lots of tears shed to the point I called a 2 week cease-fire with them not to speak to each other so we can all regroup. I completely realize some of this is normal for the ages they are at right now but some of it is just too hurtful for our family. Over that 2 week time I did some soul searching and analyzing as to what I see as the issues and skills I can maybe help teach them to better communication with each other and in life. 1) they have lost trust and respect for each other and therefore don’t show much empathy to each other, 2) they don’t take responsibility for their words or emotions, try to blame each other, 3) no active listening or validation. We have begun doing 2x week family meetings (initially under much protest and defensiveness). We read 1 chapter a week along with various articles I found (your blog and others). We have homework/exercises we do to practice these communication concepts (like learning to use “I statements” and using them, practicing identifying opportunities to show empathy and validation, etc). We are a couple weeks into this family time and I can already see and feel that our household is getting lighter. Down the way a bit we will tackle the big hurts they have done to each other but I wanted you to know what a big impact this book has had on our lives so far!
Wow, Shawna, thank you for taking the time to share this! Your comment made my day. Kudos to you for the work you’re doing—especially as a single parent, raising two teenage girls is no small feat!
A light bulb just turned on for me and I was to say thank you, thank you, thank you !
I’ve been having a hard time understanding how I wasn’t validating feelings with my partner.
This article brought it home for me. Now I hope I can turn things around.
Thanks, Abby. I have confidence you can!
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