i'm not saying every person gets into a relationship to feel validated. what do you think love is? if you strip it down to a finite, simple idea, it's being able to **validate** (i.e., to make the other feel seen, understood, and accepted unconditionally) and care for one another. yes, challenging someone else might be an important aspect of a relationship but that's not the foundation for all of them, especially the ones where both parties know it's a short-term thing
and again, anecdotally, tinder isn't really used all that seriously. when you're on a a dating app that urges you to move at a fast pace and only understand superficially who a person is, of course it's going to be about validation. if you want a "real" long-term relationship, go outside and meet ppl