Best strategy for offering support

When a loved one is fuming, validating their anger has a bigger impact than you might expect. Researchers at The Ohio State University responded to people sharing events that made them angry, either by invalidating their feelings (“Why would that make you upset?”) or validating them (“Of course you’d be angry about that”). Not only were folks who felt validated in a better mood than their counterparts, they bounced back to the level of happiness they had before recalling the incident. Investigators explain that validation helps us feel understood, so we can stay positive in the midst of negative emotions.