All of us have an innate need to feel understood, valued, and appreciated. When people in relationships do not get that emotional validation from their current partner, they tend to look further. Feelings of understanding, appreciation, and high self-esteem are key elements of an emotional connection. Simply put, emotional validation in a relationship is the need to be heard and acknowledged. It has the power to calm anxieties and complexes a person may harbor. If these basic needs are not being met in the current relationship, one or both partners may be inclined to seek emotional fulfillment from others. Interestingly, emotional infidelity is becoming even more common than physical infidelity but has similar consequences on a relationship nonetheless.