What Is the Self-Validation Hypothesis?

The self-validation hypothesis refers to the fact that people can validate or invalidate their own thoughts. Thus, if we are nodding our heads or sitting upright when thinking, our thoughts seem more correct and we rely on them more. On the other hand, if we are shaking our heads or slumped in posture while thinking, we come to doubt our own thoughts, relying on them less in forming our judgments and decisions to act on them. Many things can lead us to rely more or less on our own thoughts, one of which is whether we learn that what we have been thinking about is endorsed by most other people or only a few.

Richard Petty is a professor of psychology at Ohio State University.