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Stop Seeking Validation
[Listen to an audio version of this blog HERE.]
The average U.S. adult spends 142 minutes a day on social media. For those of you who are numerically challenged, 142 minutes is 2 hours and 22 minutes, which is about how long it takes to fill a backyard pool with 1,600 gallons of water, or how long it would take to drive from my home in Laguna Beach to Santa-fucking-Barbara. My point is that we all spend far too much time on our phones. This is not especially profound or surprising.
Matthew Lieberman, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles and author of Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, found that social media fulfills the desire to be part of a group and to avoid feeling isolated and/or vulnerable. Social media also allows anyone at anytime to find validation for accomplishments, heartache, trauma, sadness, appearances, etc. The way we have learned to frame ourselves and our identities online is based entirely on how others respond to our posts.
You probably know someone who constantly posts and continually checks in for likes, comments, retweets, shares, etc. You likely know more than one. Over 3.2 billion people use social media daily, worldwide, which translates to about 42% of the global population. That’s a lot of eyes, a lot of thumbs, and endless opportunities for addictive behavior and validation…
