According to Research, Ghosting Is Bad For Mental Health

Illustration (Cottonbro/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Ghosting occurs when someone suddenly stops all contact with another person without explanation. The party doing the ghosting will disappear suddenly. This phenomenon is most commonly associated with romantic relationships but can also refer to sudden and unexpected breakups of friendships and work relationships.

Although ghosting is not new, it is becoming increasingly common and well-known due to the growing effects of social media and technology. Basically, technology has made ghosting an incredibly easy way to get out of a relationship. Although it is often considered normal, ghosting if examined further turns out to have a bad impact on mental health.

A 2021 study published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, cites Psychology Today, Tuesday, September 6. Recruited 76 students through social media to provide feedback regarding their ghosting experience. 70 percent of them are women. In which each participant was divided into 20 groups with two to 5 students each. Each session lasted an average of 48 minutes.

Some students admit that they ghost because they don't have the communication skills needed to have an open and honest conversation. Others said they lacked confidence to engage in direct communication or had social anxiety problems.

Some participants chose to do ghosting because they were not ready for a more serious romantic relationship. Nearly half of the participants ghosted because they felt insecure. 45 percent ghosted to rid themselves of a toxic relationship.

Ironically, some report that they engage in ghosting as a better way to end the relationship than breaking up in person. In this sense, ghosting is seen as a way to avoid hurting your partner's feelings.

Seeing the increasing number of ghosting phenomena, other studies have also been carried out to show the adverse effects that ghosting has on mental health. The short-term effect on the victim is to feel hurt in self-esteem. He will continue to wonder why his ex-partner left him. He did not hesitate to blame himself for what happened. In fact, when viewed from the results of the study, the cause of ghosting arises from the person doing the ghosting rather than the victim.

While the long-term effects can cause feelings of distrust that develop over time. In some cases, this can extend to future relationships. Such experiences often trigger resistance to new relationships, self-blame, and feelings of inferiority.

Not only victims, but there are also psychological consequences for those who do ghosting. About 50 percent of those who ghost others are often plagued with feelings of guilt and remorse. The findings also show that when people often use ghosting as a way to end a relationship, this technique will happen again and again. This has the potential to hinder a person's personality growth because he or she is unfamiliar with honesty and the disappearance technique is so convenient to do to avoid hurting someone's feelings.

To cut off communication, ghosting can indeed be easier than having to face the challenges and inconveniences of having to cut ties in person. However, the negative effects related to mental health and emotional calm felt by both parties should not be ignored.