What is Ghosting and How Does it Affect People?
Ghosting is a term used to describe when someone suddenly and unexpectedly ends all contact with another person, with no explanation given. It could be a romantic partner, someone you’re dating, a friend, or even a job employer. Ghosting has become more common as technology continues to dominate our lives, making it very easy to cut off contact with someone without having to confront them directly, though it has been going on since long before social media and texting.

What are the Effects of Ghosting on the Ghostee?
One of the most common and most damaging effects of ghosting is that it can leave the ghostee feeling confused, betrayed, and hurt. It’s never a good feeling to be left hanging and to be left without an answer to why the other person abruptly stopped responding to you. It can make you feel ignored and like your efforts to connect with the person meant nothing. Additionally, ghosting can damage self-esteem and self-confidence, as the ghostee may start to question their worth and feel that they’re not important enough for the other person to explain what happened or give them closure.

What is the Impact of Ghosting on the Ghoster?
Though ghosters may think that ghosting is the easier solution for avoiding confrontation, it can actually do more harm than good. Ghosting removes an opportunity to learn from a mistake and to communicate with someone to address an issue, which can cause bitterness and resentment on both sides. Additionally, ghosting is damaging to emotional wellbeing, as it implies avoidance of painful feelings and emotions. This can prevent the ghoster from dealing with those feelings and developing healthy strategies for addressing them.

Overall, ghosting can be very damaging to both the ghostee and the ghoster, as it leaves everyone feeling confused and hurt. It deprives both parties of the opportunity to have a healthy discussion to explain what happened and to learn from it. While it can be tempting to ghost someone to avoid conflict, it’s important to remember the negative effects it can have and to strive to have honest conversations instead.