10 Simple Ways to Make Someone Feel Loved and Appreciated (2024)

Philosopher William James once wrote that “the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

We all want to feel appreciated because it elicits the idea that our existence matters to someone else. It makes us feel valued and cherished because being appreciated is how we recognize that we’re important to others and that our presence does make a difference in someone’s life.

This is why Nelson Mandela famously said:

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

From a similar standpoint, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl developed an approach to psychotherapy that he called logotherapy. It was built upon the premise that human beings are motivated by a “will to meaning.” In his view, meaning gives us purpose and purpose presents us with the endurance to carry onward through difficult times.

So if we connect the above ideas of all three great thinkers, we can conclude the following: We search for meaning in order to feel appreciated. While ‘meaning’ motivates us, it’s ‘appreciation’ that transcends us.

And how do we express appreciation for others, and in turn, receive more of it ourselves? We tap into the incredible bottomless well of power within us called kindness. Because if we learn how to freely give as little as an ounce of it, once per day, kindness can really spread more love and appreciation around us.

Through the practice of kindness, we demonstrate appreciation, and through kindness and appreciation, we create meaning for everyone involved.

An authentic smile, a hand in solidarity and support, a willingness to listen when someone wants to speak. All these little acts of kindness trigger the release of oxytocin in our brains, “the love hormone.” Hence why the very act…