4 Reasons We Crave External Validation and 3 Ways to Feel Truly Seen, Heard, and Understood

You know and love this podcast. Jay’s exclusive Genius workshops and meditations take your well-being to the next level. Try them today at https://shetty.cc/OnPurposeGenius Every person on the planet wants to be understood. But sometimes what we do to feel understood leaves us feeling even more lonely. On this episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Jay Shetty explains the difference between seeking validation and wanting to be seen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jay Shetty?

  This episode is brought to you by AG1. Are you feeling September reset too? Shorter days, longer to-do lists, earlier alarms, all those routines you promised yourself you'd pick back up. It can feel like your whole life is recalibrating. And when everything around you is changing, it helps to have a few things you can rely on. AG1 Next Gen is one of those easy habits to keep. It's the clinically-backed, comprehensive daily health drink that supports your gut health, energy production, and foundational nutrition all in one scoop. AG1's ingredients are sourced from quality partners for absorption, potency, and nutrient density to deliver the foundational nutrition your body needs. And alongside a proper diet,

• 0:44Jay Shetty?

  AG1 Next Gen meets 94% of nutrient requirements and it's clinically shown to enrich the gut microbiome. For a limited time, save 20% on your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro at drinkag1.com/onpurpose. That's drinkag1.com/onpurpose. This episode is brought to you by AG1. Are you feeling September reset too? Shorter days, longer to-do lists, earlier alarms, all those routines you promised yourself you'd pick back up. It can feel like your whole life is recalibrating. And when everything around you is changing, it helps to have a few things you can rely on.

• 1:29Jay Shetty?

  AG1 Next Gen is one of those easy habits to keep. It's the clinically-backed, comprehensive daily health drink that supports your gut health, energy production, and foundational nutrition all in one scoop. AG1's ingredients are sourced from quality partners for absorption, potency, and nutrient density to deliver the foundational nutrition your body needs. And alongside a proper diet, AG1 Next Gen meets 94% of nutrient requirements and it's clinically shown to enrich the gut microbiome. For a limited time, save 20% on your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro at drinkag1.com/onpurpose. That's drinkag1.com/onpurpose.

• 2:16Jay Shetty?

  This episode is brought to you by Vinted. Value can be found anywhere, even in the clothes sitting untouched in our closets. That's where Vinted comes in. Vinted is a secondhand marketplace app where you can sell clothes you no longer want and get more value out of them. Whether you're running out of space, moving, or simply updating your wardrobe. Listing items is a quick and simple process, and once something sells, Vinted creates a prepaid shipping label for you. And the best part, there are no seller fees, so you keep what you earn. It's a simple way to clear out your closet, be less wasteful, and maybe make some extra money along the way. And if you've been thinking about a wardrobe refresh, this can make it feel a little more worthwhile. You're not just letting go of clothes, you're getting more value from what you already have.

• 3:00Jay Shetty?

  Give your clothes a second life with Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees, so you keep every dollar you earn.

• 3:13Jay Shetty?

  Years ago, when Oprah did her last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, she said, "I've talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common. They all wanted validation. Every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know, 'Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?'" In this world with so much going on, with information coming from so many social media news channels, with things changing so quickly, with so many responsibilities each of us have, these are often the questions running on tape in the back of our minds.

• 3:58Jay Shetty?

  If we were able to turn down the volume on everything else around us, most of us would hear our voices on repeat, asking these questions of the world, of our parents, of our partner, our friends, or our employers or peers. "Do you see me? Do you hear me? Do I mean something to you?" We crave validation, that's a given. Today, we're talking about why we crave it and how to resolve that craving so that we do feel seen, we do feel heard, and we know that who we are and what we're doing in this life has meaning and worth. When we look for validation, we're looking for recognition and reassurance that we matter and that we belong.

• 4:41Jay Shetty?

  One of the biggest myths out there is that seeking validation is a bad thing. When we talk about validation in this way, that validation-seeking is negative, we're often focused on the extremes, the feeling of needing to be validated in everything you do, of having an intense fear of doing or saying something that will be judged harshly or negatively by others. And that's true. That kind of validation-seeking is unhealthy because we're constantly changing ourselves in response to what we think others think want so that they judge us more favorably. Yet, validation does have an important role in our lives. When people say we shouldn't want or need any validation from others, that's simply

• 5:23Jay Shetty?

  not realistic, and it's not how we're wired. Our brains are highly attuned to react to both harmony and disagreement. Research has long shown that most humans value social conformity so much that they'll actually change their own responses and even their perceptions to go with the group, even when the group is wrong. In my book, Think Like a Monk, I describe a classic study by Solomon Ash in which participants looked at a series of lines and were meant to indicate which two lines matched. Over and over again, participants changed their correct responses to incorrect ones in order to match the incorrect answers of others.

• 6:04Jay Shetty?

  More recently, scientists have tried to isolate what actually happens in our brains when we disagree with the group. In another study, Chinese researchers took a group of thirty men and women and had them play a game. In each round, a person called the proposer had a certain amount of money, and they would offer to split it with a responder in a variety of different percentages. They'd offer to split fifty-fifty, sixty-forty, and so on. While scientists monitored their brain activity via FMRI, the responders would accept or reject the offers based on their perceived fairness.

• 6:39Jay Shetty?

  But there was a twist. In some rounds, the respondent was also showed the responses of four peers. Not surprisingly, the respondents often changed their answers to match those of their peers, even when they thought that the offer was unfair. But check this out. Brain scans showed that when participants disagreed with the group, their brains sent out distress signals. They sounded an alert. And this way, just over a game, played with strangers that had no real consequence in the real world. This shows just how deeply we're wired to conform with others. Disagreeing can cause stress. So while the likelihood that we'll conform with others varies based factors such as our age,

• 7:23Jay Shetty?

  gender, culture, and level of self-esteem, in most cases, we're likely to go with the group. We want to be in agreement with the people around us. This is a lot of what's going on when we seek validation from others. We want them to confirm that we're still part of the group. Again, this goes back to the ancient wiring in our brains, when it was safer for us to be part of the groups than to be out in the wilderness, trying to survive on our own. So if you're being hard on yourself for caring what people think, please don't. Instead, if we task that energy with understanding that this wanting to be accepted is a deep drive within each and every one of us, we can exercise compassion for ourselves. And from that less critical space,

• 8:06Jay Shetty?

  we can gain some perspective on what validation-seeking activities are detrimental and which ones can actually help us. First, let's look at what's against us. A big one in this day and age is social media. I'm not demonizing social media. I love it. It changed my life. I'm extremely, extremely grateful for it. But listen to this. When you understand that we're wired to seek validation and you know that social media operates on likes and views, you can see where the greater challenges come in and where we need to pay extra attention to engage with it in a healthy way. Huffington Post writer Clarissa Silva conducted in-depth interviews with active social media users aged 28 to 73,

• 8:48Jay Shetty?

  and found that 60% of them said that social media has had a negative impact on their self-esteem. Half said it had a negative impact on their relationships, and I know some of you have shared similar experiences with me. When social media has this impact on us, when we get off a feed or an app feeling worse about ourselves or our lives, it's a strong indication that we're assigning at least some of our need for validation to social media, that we're going there with the intention, usually a very unconscious intention, to check and engage how we should feel about ourselves, about whether we're winning at life compared with what others share in their posts or based on how others rate our lives. To see why this is problematic,

• 9:33Jay Shetty?

  let's look for a moment at validation in another context. When scientists talk about validation, they're referring to the quality of their work. They're referring to whether the results of a study accurately represent reality. For example, one of the questions they ask when determining the validity of the design of a study is will these methods and this approach tell me what I want to know? If they don't, it's not a valid approach. Let's look at this through the lens of social media. Let's say I wanted to design a study, and the questions I wanted to answer are: Am I worthy of love and belonging? Is my life worthwhile? Does who I am matter? And then I said, right, how am I going to answer these questions?

• 10:18Jay Shetty?

  I know, I'll go on social media, and I create a rating system of my life compared to other people's lives as shown on social media. How many friends or followers do they have versus us? How much time do they spend together with other people? How loving and affirming is their partner compared with mine? How fit are they compared to me? How many exciting things do they do? And so on. And I'll compile data, and in the end, if their life looks better than mine, I'll know that I do not matter. And if my life looks equal in quality or better in quality to theirs, I'll know that I do matter. If I came to you with that study design, what would you tell me? You'd probably say, "Jay, I don't think that's a great idea." And if I asked you why not, what would you say? I know it's a bit silly, but think about this for a minute.

• 11:04Jay Shetty?

  Because in effect, this is what most of us are actually doing. At least some of the time, we engage with social media. The reason that wouldn't be a scientifically valid way to measure my own worth is because the information being provided on social media is skewed. We know this. That what we share is curated. That we put things out there specifically to get a certain kind of attention. It's not that it's not at all real life, but it's only a slice of life. Even when sentiments and content are authentic, they're planned. So for the most part, you're only seeing a portion of someone's experience at a time when they want to share it with you. Does it make sense to measure the quality or value of our lives and experiences

• 11:48Jay Shetty?

  against someone else's curated videos or images? And yet again, subconsciously, this is what we're doing. We're measuring, how do I fit in compared with others? Am I as successful, good-looking? Do I have enough friends? Am I wearing the right clothes? And when we post, we create a version of ourself that we present to the world. Usually, this is a false self. It has elements that are performative because we think those things are what others will approve of or want for themselves. We want to show ourselves in the best light. So what we're asking to be validated isn't even us. It's a caricature we've created. And here's what's happening internally while that's happening externally.

• 12:34Jay Shetty?

  We can become lost to our creation. And it can be harder and harder to recognize who we actually are. As Clarissa Silver writes, "We're in effect actually creating a double consciousness, where we can even start to prefer to communicate with people digitally rather than in real life, because over digital means, like social media, emails and texts, it's easier to manipulate our presentation of ourselves." For some, that may be an effective formula for likes and shares, but it's not a formula for authenticity, self-esteem, or deep connection with others or with ourselves. We become lost without a sense of who we are. And as a result, we crave more and more external validation.

• 13:18Jay Shetty?

  It's like an appetite that just can't be satisfied because we never receive that deep nutrition. That's what we actually need to sustain ourselves. When we lose our sense of self, we constantly look to others to tell us who we are. This episode is brought to you by Whole Foods Market. If you're talking about quality food, you can't forget Whole Foods Market, who've been holding themselves to the highest standards since they opened in 1980. That means you'll see thousands of organic products across their stores, from the produce department to the aisles. It also means you'll never see certain ingredients. They've banned artificial sweeteners and colors, high fructose corn syrup

• 13:59Jay Shetty?

  and more, so you can shop with peace of mind. Shop Whole Foods Market in-store or online. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. We talk a lot about intentional decision-making, and that extends to the practical stuff too, like making sure your coverage actually works for your life. State Farm is there to meet you where you are, and they know how sweet it is to feel good about your decisions. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state, coverage options are selected by the customer, availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state. This episode is brought to you by Wayfair. Home should be a place that feels like a

• 14:44Jay Shetty?

  sanctuary, a space that truly reflects who you are, but it can be challenging to balance style, budget and endless options. I was looking to create a dedicated calm space for my morning meditation and reading, but I was struggling to find pieces that felt grounding but could also stand up to daily use. I went on Wayfair and found a beautiful, solid wood accent chair and a bookshelf. Now that corner is my favorite place to anchor my day. The quality is incredible, it's built to last, and it completely shifted the energy of the room. Plus, you can shop with Wayfair Verified, where product specialists carefully vet items for quality and functionality, so you can shop with more confidence. And if putting it all together sounds like a headache, Wayfair can handle delivery, installation

• 15:27Jay Shetty?

  and assembly. Join Wayfair Rewards today to get 5% back on every purchase and start saving on your next home upgrade. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R dot com. Wayfair. Every style, every home.

• 15:44Jay Shetty?

  It's funny to think of legendary martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee wanting to be anyone but himself, yet he said that early in his Hollywood career, when he was filming the TV show The Green Hornet, at one point, he looked around and saw a room filled with other people, other human beings, but he was acting like a robot. He realized he had been trying to gain external validation by moving and speaking in the right way, instead of doing things the way Bruce Lee would do them. "Always be yourself and express yourself," Lee advised. "Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate them." This brings us to the other extreme, where we say, "I don't care what anyone thinks." How many times have you heard someone say that? Or maybe you've thought that yourself.

• 16:29Jay Shetty?

  "I wish I was just like so-and-so." They don't care what anyone thinks about them. And yet, is that always good? What about people who are intensely rude or insensitive to the feelings of others? There's a certain amount of behavior and fitting in that helps us to create a kinder and more cohesive society. The other issue is that for most of us, if we say, "I don't care what anyone thinks," it just isn't genuine. We aren't being truthful with ourselves. Our brains are really smart. When we tell ourselves, "It doesn't matter what other people think, I don't care," our brains know better. Remember the Chinese study I mentioned? Our brains actually send alert signals when we don't fit in. That doesn't mean that we should bend over backwards to try and fit in, certainly not,

• 17:11Jay Shetty?

  but to manage that kind of primitive circuitry, we have to learn how to engage with it thoughtfully. One way we can do that is through something called self-affirmation. Now, that's not to be confused with affirmations, which are phrases we repeat to ourselves to help us focus our thoughts and direct our attitudes. In this context, the key to effective self-affirmation isn't simply thinking positive thoughts. It has to do with identifying with and listing out aspects of ourselves and our connection to our values that affirm who we are. And as studies show, when we self-affirm and have this more grounded and supported sense of who we are, we're actually more likely to have an accurate sense of ourselves, and it's actually easier to learn and grow.

• 17:57Jay Shetty?

  Check out this study published in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers took a group of thirty-eight undergrads and split them into two groups. In one group, the self-affirmation group, were asked to rank six values from most to least important. The values were aesthetic, social, political, religious, economic, and theoretical. Then they were asked to write for five minutes about why the value they put in the top position was the most important to them of the six. In the second group, participants also ranked the six values, but were then told to write about why their top value was actually not that important to them. Then the researchers evaluated the participants' self-control.

• 18:38Jay Shetty?

  They were shown either the letter M or the letter W, and were told to press a button when they saw M, but not when they saw W. The participants in the group who affirmed their top value and wrote about why it was more important to them actually made fewer errors than those who undermined their top-rated value and wrote why it actually wasn't that important to them. When the scientists looked at participants' brain scans, they saw that those who had affirmed their top value showed brain signals that increased their attention to error and emotion, making them better able to recognize and correct their mistakes as they engaged in the task.

• 19:18Jay Shetty?

  I love this study because it actually shows that when we're aware of and in alignment with our values, our brains actually perform better. And when we have a strong sense of self, we're not totally thrown over by shame when we make a mistake. We can simply course correct. Validation also links strongly to our relationships, and it's a big thing most of us look to our romantic partners for. We want a partner in part because we want built-in affirmation, someone we can constantly turn to who can reassure us, and we want our friends to affirm us too. But just like our brains know when we give ourselves empty affirmations, we know when the words of our friends or loved ones don't feel true.

• 20:02Jay Shetty?

  And if they don't offer the validation, we can be left in an emotional tailspin, not knowing where to turn to ground ourselves. So how do we solve this? How do we address our own need for self-esteem and affirmation, but also use validation as a positive relationship-building tool? Let's start where we have the most direct, immediate impact with ourselves. In Think Like a Monk, I write a lot about the importance of being connected to our values, of being really clear about what motivates us, what we truly care about, and why. When we seek control in our lives, we often seek to control things that are out of our grasp. What's going on in our world, how others see us, and so on. Ironically, what we truly can control, we often ignore.

• 20:47Jay Shetty?

  Things like our values, our values are deeply personal. No one can take them from you, and no one needs to affirm them. But if we haven't identified and affirmed our own values, there's no way to tell how we're doing. And if we're judging ourselves by externals, our tests about our lives and how we gauge how we are doing are actually invalid because other people can't set our values for us. So here's an exercise to help you focus on identifying and aligning with your values and focusing on that self-affirmation. Write down six to 10 of your values, things like kindness, family, knowledge, wealth, service, and so on, and rank them in order of importance to you. Once you've got your list, do what the participants in the study did,

• 21:32Jay Shetty?

  and take five minutes and physically write out why that top value is the most important to you. What role does it play in your life? When you've done that, take another five minutes and write out how you honor that value in your daily life. For example, if your top value is kindness, how do you act with kindness to others? How about to yourself? How do you demonstrate kindness in your day-to-day that shows it's your top value? Be specific. Do you check in with colleagues or loved ones to see how they're doing? Do you hold the door for people or help your children with their homework? Now, for the last five minutes, list out anything you do in your day-to-day that works against this value. Do you gossip? Do you withhold compliments or love from others? Again, be specific.

• 22:18Jay Shetty?

  Now, this isn't meant to make you feel bad about yourself. It's meant to help you identify any times or areas where you tend to act out of alignment with this core value. We all do that. We all have misalignments. It's about identifying these areas so we can make tweaks and corrections when we see that behaviour come up. This exercise helps us see and correct our missteps so we're constantly growing and improving while also loving ourselves along the way. Unfortunately, we're often taught that it's bad or narcissistic to love and validate ourselves. Yet, when something unsettling happens, we need to be able to have a sense of our own value and worth. We need to have that healthy ego to affirm ourselves. That doesn't mean telling ourselves we do everything right and we're perfect,

• 23:03Jay Shetty?

  but instead to affirm ourselves as imperfect but still with lots to offer. Models are typically expected to look the way the industry wants them to, do what the industry wants them to, and even talk the way the industry wants them to, which is not much. As a young model lacking a strong sense of self, Ashley found herself dealing with constant pressure and criticism by looking for her worth in food, men, and gossip. At just eighteen years old, she realised she was in a downward spiral of hating who she was. Ready to quit modelling altogether, Ashley reached out to her mum, who encouraged her to stick with her career but also to reconnect with her spiritual roots. When she started spending more time with people who had a strong value system,

• 23:46Jay Shetty?

  Ashley realised that she'd fallen into a pattern of having people around her who didn't truly care who she was or what she wanted. She made an about-face and started focusing on defining her own values and on creating nurturing relationships with people who loved her. Today, Ashley Graham is one of the most influential voices and figures in modelling and has helped shift the industry towards creating better, more fashionable options for people of all body types. She's also a really good friend and even more wonderful in person. Here's another exercise you can do to help validate yourself. When you see that you don't exactly fit in somewhere, when you see that maybe you don't have the degree of education that others in your field have, when you see that you don't look like others in your area,

• 24:30Jay Shetty?

  when you see that you don't have the same personality or disposition or financial situation, ask yourself this question. What are the unique or unusual things I bring to this space? Because I promise you that you do, I promise you that for any way you are unlike others in your space, in your field, in your job, or what you have, I promise you that there are powerful, positive ways those differences can work to your benefit. I had a friend who got into a relationship with a guy, and when it started out, she was really nervous because everyone he had dated before was supermodel gorgeous, in her estimation. They were thin and glamorous, and that wasn't how she saw herself.

• 25:13Jay Shetty?

  So she figured he would lose interest. But then she asked herself a similar question and wrote down all of the wonderful qualities that made her appealing: her sense of humor, her kindness, her compassion, her intelligence, and her own attractiveness, which as she saw it, wasn't a mainstream look, but was kind of the girl-next-door look. None of this had to do with her boyfriend. It had to do with herself. Whether or not their relationship lasted, she affirmed these things about herself. And that exercise helped her from being insecure and jealous, which were not behaviors and attitudes she wanted to adopt. She didn't want to become someone else because of perception of what her boyfriend was attracted to in the past.

• 25:55Jay Shetty?

  And incidentally, as it happens, many years later, they're still together. So make that question into a meditation for yourself. If this is an area you struggle with, comparing yourself to others in this way and what you think you don't have, spend at least thirty minutes in solitude being present with that question. What are the unique things I bring to this space? I want to share with you another activity. In fact, I'm going to invite you to go ahead and take an entire week and just focus fifteen minutes each morning, or each lunchtime, or each evening on these exercises to help you self-validate and to calibrate your self-perception. Repeat any that feel like they could use more time and attention. For this one, you're going to make two columns.

• 26:39Jay Shetty?

  In one of them, list out all the things you're good at, and in the other, areas where you could improve. Maybe you're a present parent. Maybe you're great at meeting deadlines. But maybe you could be more present with your partner and be a better listener with friends. Again, none of this is judgment. We're just gaining perspective. We're just fostering that equanimity and that balance in how we see ourselves. Incidentally, this will also help us be less judgmental of others and help keep us from putting others on a pedestal, both of which can be easy to do when our own sense of self is imbalanced or our self-esteem is low. Overly seeking validation can make us more vulnerable to the negative effects of stress. When we have self-esteem, when we're in learning mode, and when we're in our growth mindset,

• 27:23Jay Shetty?

  we expect a certain amount of struggle or failures, and we know it's all just part of the learning process. It's an inescapable part of being human. When we're in our growth mindset and when we accept that we need to engage in effort and learning to get to where we want to go, part of which is gauging how we're doing, this is where we can use seeking validation from others in a positive way. We can check in with others for help and support. This not only gives us valuable information, it can help us build stronger relationships. There's a beautiful quote by Saint Augustine, "The truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it, let it loose, it will defend itself." This is true about your worth as well.

• 28:07Jay Shetty?

  You don't have to defend it. You don't have to defend who you are in this world. We're not responsible for what others think of us, and it's exhausting to try and live in a way that gets likes from everyone. Instead, we're responsible for adhering to our own values, to living in alignment with our deep priorities, and we can use the input of others to help us calibrate our words, thoughts, and actions, but we don't rely on them for our sense of self. You are not responsible for others' expectations, those you can let go. Instead, live in your truth, let it loose, given the opportunity, it will defend itself. Thank you so much for listening to On Purpose.

• 28:48Jay Shetty?

  Make sure you tag me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, whatever social media platform you use, sharing what you learned and gained from this episode. When you're putting that out on social media, you're more likely to remember it the next time you're scrolling and worrying as well. Have an amazing, amazing day. I'll see you on our next episode. Thanks for listening.

• 29:13Jay Shetty?

  Hey guys, this is Jay again. Just a few more quick things before you leave. I know we try to focus on the good every day, and I want to make that easier for you. Would you like to get a short email from me every week that gives you an extra dose of positivity? Weekly Wisdom is my newsletter, where I jot down whatever's on my mind that I think may uplift your week. Basically, little bits of goodness that are going to improve your wellbeing. This short newsletter is all about growth and sending positivity straight to your inbox. Read it with a cup of tea, forward it to a friend, and let these words brighten your day. To sign up, just go to jayshetty.me and drop your email in the pop-up. If you have trouble finding it, just scroll to the very bottom of the page and you'll see the sign-up. Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy my weekly wisdom newsletter.

• 30:02Jay Shetty?

  This podcast was produced by Dust Light Productions. Our executive producer from Dust Light is Misha Youssef. Our senior producer is Juliana Bradley. Our associate producer is Jacqueline Castillo. Valentino Rivera is our engineer. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. And special thanks to Rachel Garcia, the Dust Light Development and Operations Coordinator.

• 30:32Speaker 01

  Mr. President, my company informed me of the explosion on our rig on October 2nd. Causing massive water displacement and triggering a tsunami. They all keep the blame on me.

• 30:41Speaker 02

  Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess, and Digger's gonna dig us up. From the director of Birdman and The Revenant.

• 30:48Speaker 03

  What would happen if I stopped drilling? You stop, you freeze to death, that's what.

• 30:53Speaker 02

  With great power comes great deniability.

• 30:56Speaker 03

  I'm not the first daddy.

• 30:57Speaker 02

  Digger. See the trailer online. Only in theaters October 2nd. Rated R. Under 17. Not a middle without parent.