Are people who try and seek validation insecure?

It's hard to walk the thin line of being confident and not looking like a jackass.

Typically, yes. People who are secure and confident with who they are don't need validation from others.

"Validation" and "approval" are not synonymous. Validation is the recognition and acceptance of another person's thoughts, feelings, sensations, and behaviors as understandable. Self-validation is the recognition and acceptance of your own thoughts, feelings, sensations and behaviors as understandable.

Ask my penis. It can detect insecure people.

Most of the time, yes.

Everyone needs to be validated sometimes.

Well duh! If you can not find it internally you need external validation

I notice it more as I get older. The look people give you to see if you're upset or something.

It always depends on the situation, but it's often true.