Ghosting is defined as the method of ending all communication with another person without any explanation. Ghosting has become quite a common technique of ending any relationship without giving any explanation and being held responsible for it. However, the person who has been ghosted experiences an unpleasant feeling and longing for a need of closure.

A new study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships checked the relation between someone who is in a greater need for closure and their likeliness of ghosting someone else. Christina M.Leckfor conducted various studies the check this relation.

The first study had more than 550 young adults who rated statements that measured their nature towards the need for closure, and indicated how likely were they to use ghosting as a method of ending a relation in various different scenarios. They were also asked if they had been a victim of ghosting in the past. To the researchers and my surprise, people who are in a greater need for closure are in fact more likely to ghost others. However, being ghosted in the past had no effect on the relation of need for closure and the likeliness of ghosting others.  

Another study by Christina Leckfor and her colleagues measured the psychological impact on those who were ghosted. Initially, the participants rated their need for closure and reflected on a situation from their own life: when they were ghosted or rejected. Finally, they completed a scale that measured their satisfaction in their basic psychological need, i.e. feelings of belonging and control. Like I expected, participants who were ghosted earlier had lower needs of satisfaction than those who were rejected. This suggested a poor psychological well-being. Participants also reported lower needs of satisfaction, if they had a need for closure and they were ghosted or even rejected directly. 

Overall the study found that being ghosted has much more of a negative impact on the person who is in need for closure. However, if you are the one initiating ghosting then your personal need for closure is much less as you have already gotten your closure and therefore you are ending the relation.

I personally believe a lot in communication and therefore would recommend people to end any relation with proper communication. Ghosting, according to me, should be the last resort to use in order to end a relation as it leads to a poor psychological well-being of the person on the receiving end as also found in the study above.

More about the above study: From Close to Ghost – Christina M. Leckfor, Natasha R. Wood, et al.