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Where Did You Go? The Psychological and Physiological Consequences of Ghosting in Romantic Relationships

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Abstract

Understanding the prevalence of breakups and the manner in which they occur can provide valuable insights into the dynamics of romantic relationships. The manner in which people choose to end relationships has evolved, with a growing number opting for a phenomenon known as ghosting, which is a dissolution strategy in which one partner abruptly ceases all communication to terminate the relationship. The goal of this study is to investigate the psychological and physiological consequences of ghosting. Data comes from two studies: one examining the psychological consequences of ghosting (N��= 30) and another examining the physiological consequences of ghosting (N = 40). Results of study 1 revealed that participants reported significantly higher anxiety and lower self-esteem as a result of the ghosting experiment. Results of study 2 revealed that heart rate significantly decreased after the ghosting experiment while blood pressure increased. Additionally, compared to the control group, those who were ghosted reported higher heart rate and higher blood pressure, but no differences in cortisol. Preliminary data suggests that ghosting hinders psychological and physiological wellbeing. Additional implications are discussed.

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Data and study materials are made available upon request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Taylor Soloway, Hannah Grace Lee, Jordyn Brazer, Rachel Consiglio, Nicole Fitzgerald, and Blake Whitson for their help with data collection.

Funding

This research received grant support from the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program from Florida State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA

    Michael Langlais

  2. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

    Emily Citrano, Liliana Rentería, Raluca Gica & Michael Ormsbee

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  1. Michael Langlais
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Correspondence to Michael Langlais.

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This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Florida State University and all participants provided electronic consent for participation in this study.

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Langlais, M., Citrano, E., Rentería, L. et al. Where Did You Go? The Psychological and Physiological Consequences of Ghosting in Romantic Relationships. Sexuality & Culture (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-024-10224-0

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