Archive · 3 Aug 2025
What Is Ghostlighting? Dating Trend Explained
Imagine someone you're dating suddenly disappears and then acts like nothing happened when they come back.
That's ghostlighting!
They might make you think you're overreacting or imagining things.
It's a mix of ghosting (disappearing) and gaslighting (making you doubt yourself).
This happens more often now because dating apps and social media make it easy to find new people.
It can make you feel confused and question your own feelings.
It is important to spot the early signs so you can protect your feelings.
Ghostlighting is a dating trend combining ghosting and gaslighting.
It involves a person disappearing and then returning without acknowledging their absence.
This trend is common due to dating apps and social media.
Ghostlighting makes individuals doubt their feelings and memories.
Early signs include erratic behavior, vague excuses, and blame deflection.
- Who
- A person practicing ghostlighting.
- What
- Ghostlighting is a dating trend involving ghosting and gaslighting.
- When
- The trend is especially prevalent today.
- Where
- This dating trend is common because of dating apps and social media.
- Why
- The increased options and easy access to people on social media, coupled with the tendency to avoid conflict, have contributed to the rise of ghostlighting.
Victims
Practitioners
Emotional Validation
Victims
Feelings are invalidated.
Practitioners
Practitioners dismiss and minimize the victim's emotions and experiences.
- Trend Name
- Ghostlighting
- Key Behaviors
- Ghosting followed by gaslighting
- Result
- Victims doubt their feelings, memories, and self-trust
- Contributing Factors
- Dating apps and social media