Emotional validation is a process which involves acknowledging and accepting another individual's inner emotional experience, without necessarily agreeing with or justifying it, and possibly also communicating that acceptance.
[1] It is a process that fosters empathy, strengthens relationships, and helps resolve conflicts.
Emotional validation is recognized as an important tool for developing empathy, strengthening bonds, resolving conflicts, and providing effective comfort during the grieving process.
Research has shown that it helps regulate the emotions of both the validating person and the validated person, facilitating conflict resolution.
Despite arising from the intention to provide comfort, such phrases often have the opposite effect.