Daters will all be familiar with ghosting. No one wants to become a ghostee, but according to a recent study, there may be a reason you get ghosted and it seems pretty valid
Dating can be a treacherous time, so when you finally manage to secure a date – and you feel it goes well – it can be infuriating when you get ghosted.
There are a lot of buzzwords flying around the 2024 dating scene, but “ghosting” is perhaps one of the most prolific. Ghosting happens when a person creates a false sense of dating security, but then disappears without a trace – essentially turning into a ghost.
But, there may be a reason as to why you’re being ghosted, or haunted, by the dating spell, and it’s nothing to do with you.
According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, ghosting is usually part of a cowardly attempt to avoid hurting someone, without realising the pain it inflicts. And it’s a tactic that is a personal choice.
The author of the study, YeJin Park, has been a ghost in the past and was happy to use his experience to explore the phenomenon. He explained: “Ghosting was only further exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where most communications moved online, making ghosting even easier. When my co-author Nadav Klein asked if I was interested in studying ghosting with him, I was excited to explore personal phenomena using a psychological vantage.
He told PsyPost that the findings from the study can be summarised using the words of Adam Grant when he covered our paper on X: ‘Ghosting isn’t always due to a lack of care. It’s often a misguided effort to avoid hurting someone. Many people stop replying to shield others from pain. They don’t realise being ignored is usually worse than being rejected. Candour stings briefly. Silence leaves an open wound.'”
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