Is it wrong to ghost someone?
In episode 48, we discuss why ghosting hurts so much, when it's acceptable, and why "not caring what others think of you" is actually bad advice
Episode 48 is now live. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts and more.
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Thanks to everyone who’s written in with their stories. This episode was a fun one to record, more light-hearted than the recent series on democracy & voting.
Is it wrong to ghost someone?
Really taking it to a modern everyday issue here...ghosting. What exactly is ghosting, why does it hurt so much, and when is it ok to do (if ever?). We discuss why the appearance of the romantic trend of simply going silent on a partner and disappearing has emerged. In discussing this, we explore some of the morality around expectations, our obligations to others and how much we should really care about what others think.
For further reading on this episode, see this article: https://ideas.ted.com/why-ghosting-hurts-us-psychology/ It forms the foundation of the psychological analysis we discuss, including:
Why caring about what others think of you is a socially beneficial skill. The key is not to care “too much”.
How uncertainty reduction theory explains the pain of ghosting
Why our craving for human connection exacerbates this pain in a romantic setting
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Until next time!
Jake & Ant