What is Ghosting and Why Do People Do It?

Ghosting is an unfortunately common experience for people who are dating. What is ghosting? Ghosting refers to the experience of one person cutting off contact with a partner and ignoring their partner’s attempts to reach out, typically through texting or other forms of social media. Although ghosting itself may not be new (can anyone remember sitting by the phone waiting for someone special to call?), it seems to be a more common phenomenon in today’s dating world. Studies have found that 80% of single millennials have reported being ghosted by a romantic partner.

In today’s dating world, it seems like it's inevitable that you will be ghosted by someone.

Being ghosted can be a disappointing and confusing experience. You’re often left asking yourself: did I misinterpret the date? Was I the only one who had a good time? Did I do something to offend the other person? Did something come up at work and they’re busy so haven’t had time to respond to me? If you’ve had any of these thoughts or feelings, you are not alone! People report feeling sad, angry, ashamed, and lower self-esteem after being ghosted by a partner.

Why do people ghost?

Studies have found that although 75% of people have reported ghosting a romantic partner in the past, 74% of people agree that it is an inappropriate way to break up with someone. So, if people know ghosting makes others feel bad, and it’s not a particularly appropriate way to break up with someone, why do they do it? Researchers have found a number of explanations for ghosting instead of having an outright discussion with a partner about breaking up:

1. They feel like they need to protect themselves. For example, they may fear some sort of retaliation from their partner, whether that is a physical or emotional response they didn’t want to deal with. Alternatively, people reported that they felt they weren’t ready for a relationship and...

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