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Emotional experiences of ghosting
Gili Freedman1, Darcey N Powell2, Benjamin Le3
1St. Mary's College of Maryland.
The Journal of Social Psychology
|May 27, 2022
Summary
Ghosting, or ending relationships by stopping communication, impacts individuals differently. While ghosters feel guilt and relief, those ghosted experience hurt and threats to fundamental needs.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Science
- Relationship Studies
Background:
- Ghosting, the cessation of communication to end a relationship, is a prevalent yet under-researched phenomenon.
- Previous research has not fully explored the emotional experiences of both parties involved in ghosting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emotional experiences of individuals who have both engaged in ghosting and been ghosted.
- To compare the psychological impact of ghosting on the ghoster versus the ghostee.
Main Methods:
- A multi-method study involving 80 participants who had experienced both ghosting and being ghosted.
- Collection of participants' relationship narratives and completion of questionnaires.
- Analysis of narrative responses using qualitative coding and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC).
Main Results:
- Both ghosters and ghostees used similar frequencies of positive and negative emotional language.
- Ghosters reported higher levels of guilt and relief.
- Ghostees experienced more sadness, hurt feelings, and threats to fundamental needs (control, self-esteem, belongingness, meaningful existence).
Conclusions:
- Ghosting elicits distinct emotional responses and psychological impacts on both the initiator and the recipient.
- Ghostees face a more significant threat to their core psychological needs compared to ghosters.
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