Men Who Are Addicted To Validation From Random Women Usually Do 7 Things When You're Not Around
MDV Edwards | Shutterstock Everyone wants to feel validated by the people who matter to them, but some men really take that need for external validation too far.
There are times when this can be unhealthy and also concerning, like when men always need to be validated by women to boost their ego. They fall into some strange habits to get this support from any woman who’s willing to provide it.
Men usually do these things when they’re addicted to validation from random women:
1. They post things on social media for attention
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When a guy shares a selfie he took at the gym or mentions the career goal he just met, it’s hard to know what his real intentions are. Some people just post that kind of stuff without thinking, but others do it because they know it’s going to get them the attention they crave.
It’s actually really common for people to turn to social media for reassurance. It can easily become unhealthy, though, like when a man keeps posting thirst traps so women he doesn’t even know will tell him how great he is.
2. They do whatever it takes to get a compliment
It sounds kind of crazy, but being complimented makes our brains feel the same way as when we're given money. There are obviously some deep psychological reasons behind why compliments feel so good, so it makes sense that people would want to hear others say nice things.
Men who always need validation from women take this to another level, though. Instead of being happy with the compliments they genuinely earn, they always bring up their accomplishments when they’re around women. They’re basically laying the bait for a compliment, and someone will probably tell them what they want to hear.
3. They keep track of the random women they interact with
For some men, it’s not enough to seek out extra validation from women. They want to keep track of it, too, almost like they have a mental scoreboard. They remember who’s told them what, and how often they’ve said it.
It’s not a good idea to keep score in a real relationship with a tally of who owes the other person, but these random women aren’t actually in a relationship with these guys. Although that means they aren’t damaging some kind of partnership, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re using them.
4. They spend too much time checking who interacted with their posts
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People with low self-esteem have a higher chance of using social media so obsessively that it affects their real lives. One trap that people who are low on confidence can easily fall into is constantly checking for new likes on their posts and new views on their stories.
This obviously doesn’t only happen to men, but it feels a little more annoying when men always check to see how many women have interacted with a post or to find out if specific women saw it. In that case, there’s clearly something wrong.
5. They maintain a lot of meaningless friendships
The debate over whether it’s better to have a big circle of friends or just a few close ones isn’t going to end any time soon. Although everyone has their own opinion, there’s really no right answer as long as the connections are high-quality.
That’s where things get a little confusing for these validation-seeking men. They’re probably going to have a lot of friends, especially women, who they aren’t very close to. They care more about knowing those people are there if they need a boost than actually having a strong bond with them.
6. They act differently based on who they’re with
One of the most obvious signs that you’re around a fake person is that you can’t tell who they really are. They act totally differently around different people because they’re tailoring their personality to whatever that person will like best.
Men do this when they want validation from random women because they know there are certain things that will grab one woman’s attention, while another will be interested in something else. It’s pretty ironic that they do this to boost their confidence when authentic people actually have higher self-esteem.
7. They only feel confident when they get the attention they want
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It’s a big mistake for anyone to base their self-worth on what other people think, but that’s exactly what these men do. Their mood is completely dependent on how much attention they get and how much women admire them.
That means they’ll probably act pretty volatile because they’ll quickly move back and forth between confident and disappointed, which will defeat their purpose because no one will want to be around them at all.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
