What are the mental impacts of being ghosted?

Beyond being a major turn off (although does it really matter if you’re turned off if they’ve already cut contact?), ghosting can affect our mental health and self-esteem.

“It can leave you feeling rejected and questioning your self-worth. For some people there is a feeling of being 'disposable'. As attachment-seeking beings, that feeling can be extremely powerful,” explains Relate Counsellor Tamara Hoyton. ‘Thoughts like “Am I unlovable?’ or ‘What did I do wrong?’ can flood your mind. You may even hold onto hope, believing that the person will reappear. This lack of closure can be emotionally crippling.”

How common is ghosting?

If we haven’t experienced it ourselves, chances are we can all think of someone who’s been ghosted. “Unfortunately ghosting is an inevitable part of the dating journey, with 80% of British daters having previously experienced this,” says Eva Gallagher, Resident Dating Expert at Plenty of Fish.

“Despite its prevalence in modern dating, ghosting is a top turn off for 43% of singles in the UK and at Plenty of Fish we strongly recommend against this as a method of ending a connection,” she adds.

Instead, Gallagher recommends kindly letting the other person know that you no longer want to communicate or hang out with them. “It’s ok if you don’t hit it off with your date, but show respect, instead of the silent treatment.”

Here's how ghosting affects your mental health

If you’ve never heard of ghosting, you’ve either been living under a rock or you’re the luckiest person on Earth.

The term has been around since the mid 2000s, according to Dictionary.com and it seems to have taken off in popularity in 2015, after The New York Times wrote about Charlize Theron ghosting Sean Penn after a year and a half of dating. Ouch.

While it was possible to ghost someone before the advent of online dating – just stop replying to their calls, their handwritten letters or their telegrams – the amount of time we spend talking about it has risen inextricably with the rise of dating apps.

In fact, Forbes once called ghosting the dating app industry’s “billion dollar question” and so-called ghost-busting solutions pop up every few years; from apps threatening to ban frequent offenders, to no-ghosting apps and even AI’s specifically created to weed out potential ghosters.

So, let’s cut through 20 years of headlines… What actually is ghosting and why has it had such an impact on all of us?

What’s worse: being ghosted or getting dumped? A new scientific study reveals all

If you had to be rejected by someone, how would you want them to do it? Are you partial to a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ cliché? Are you more of a ‘tell-it-to-me-straight’ kinda person? Or would you rather avoid the confrontation completely, and simply be cut off and never spoken to again?

As someone who’s experienced a vast array of rejection flavours, I have a strong opinion on which one tastes the worst. But does science back me up?

A new study, published in the Computers in Human Behaviour journal, has revealed which kind of romantic rejection — being dumped or getting ghosted — hurts the most. To investigate, researchers sought participants for a vaguely-pitched study about ‘online interactions’. They were then paired up and tasked with chatting about a designated theme with their conversation partner for 15 minutes everyday, for six consecutive days. They were then asked to fill out a daily questionnaire about their experience, as well as a longer one before and after the study.Unbeknownst to half the participants, though, their conversation partners were actually research assistants. On the fourth day of chatting, the undercover participant (the assistant) then did one of three things: ghosted their partner, told them they didn’t want to carry on talking, or, in the control group, just continued the conversation.

Gaji Besar vs Work-Life Balance, Mana yang Harus Jadi Prioritas?

Siapa sih yang tidak mau gaji besar? Angka nol yang semakin panjang di rekening tentu terdengar menggoda, apalagi saat kamu membayangkan semua wishlist yang akhirnya bisa terwujud: liburan impian, skincare mewah, sampai cicilan rumah pertama. Tapi di sisi lain, ada hal yang tak kalah penting dan sering kali jadi “korban” ambisi karier: waktu untuk diri sendiri. Tidur cukup, makan tenang, punya waktu nongkrong bareng sahabat, bahkan sekadar scroll TikTok tanpa rasa bersalah—semua itu jadi kemewahan tersendiri saat work-life balance mulai terganggu. 

Jadi, ketika dihadapkan pada pilihan antara gaji besar atau hidup yang lebih seimbang, mana yang sebenarnya layak dijadikan prioritas? Di sini, Kami akan membahas berbagai pertimbangan penting sebelum kamu memutuskan mana yang paling sesuai dengan nilai dan kebutuhan hidupmu.

Apa yang sebenarnya kamu kejar dari karier?

Sebelum memilih antara gaji besar atau waktu hidup yang lebih seimbang, coba tanya ke diri sendiri: apa sih tujuan utama kamu bekerja? Apakah kamu sedang mengejar kestabilan finansial, pengalaman kerja, gaya hidup tertentu, atau sekadar ingin bertahan hidup? Prioritas setiap orang beda-beda, dan itu sah-sah aja. Tapi dengan tahu motivasi dasarmu, kamu bisa lebih mudah memutuskan jalur karier seperti apa yang paling cocok tanpa merasa terus diburu ekspektasi sosial.

Side Hustle Era: Mengapa Gen Z Ingin Memilikinya?

Di era yang serba cepat dan penuh tuntutan ini, generasi muda, khususnya Gen Z, semakin menunjukkan kecenderungan untuk tidak hanya mengandalkan satu sumber penghasilan saja. Munculnya fenomena side hustle menjadi bukti bahwa mereka memiliki cara pandang baru terhadap karier, stabilitas finansial, dan self-growth. Bagi Gen Z, side hustle bukan sekadar kerja tambahan, tapi juga wadah untuk mengekspresikan kreativitas, mengejar passion, dan membangun identitas profesional sejak dini. Lantas, apa yang sebenarnya mendorong Gen Z untuk begitu antusias menekuni berbagai side hustle di tengah rutinitas mereka?

Apa itu Side Hustle?

Side hustle adalah pekerjaan sampingan yang dilakukan di luar pekerjaan utama atau kegiatan utama seseorang (misalnya kuliah atau kerja full-time). Berbeda dengan kerja penuh waktu yang terikat jam dan kontrak, side hustle lebih fleksibel dan seringkali dijalani sesuai passion atau minat pribadi.

Contohnya bisa berupa jualan online, menjadi content creator, freelance desain atau menulis, buka usaha kecil-kecilan, hingga monetisasi hobi seperti melukis atau memasak.

Mengapa Gen Z Tertarik Memiliki Side Hustle?

1. Menambah Penghasilan di Tengah Biaya Hidup yang Meningkat

Banyak Gen Z yang merasa gaji atau uang bulanan saja tidak cukup memenuhi kebutuhan. Side hustle jadi cara cerdas untuk punya tambahan pemasukan tanpa harus meninggalkan pekerjaan atau kuliah.