A study of young adults in Romania found that individuals who had experienced being ghosted were more likely to ghost others. Similarly, those who had experienced breadcrumbing were more likely to breadcrumb others. Individuals who reported higher levels of moral disengagement, toxic disinhibition, and psychological distress were also more likely to engage in both ghosting and breadcrumbing. The research was published in Deviant Behavior.
In the modern world, romantic relationships often begin online through social media and messaging platforms. While convenient, these forms of communication have given rise to new types of antisocial behavior, including ghosting and breadcrumbing.
Ghosting refers to abruptly cutting off all communication with someone without explanation, typically in a dating or social context. It often leaves the other person feeling confused, hurt, and without closure. Ghosting is considered a passive-avoidant way of ending a relationship without confrontation. Breadcrumbing, in contrast, involves sending intermittent, inconsistent messages or signals of romantic interest to keep someone emotionally engaged without any intention of a real commitment. It fosters false hope and emotional uncertainty. Both behaviors are associated with poor communication skills, low empathy, and, in some cases, manipulative intent.
Study authors Alexandra Cobzeanu and Cornelia Măirean aimed to explore the psychological traits associated with ghosting and breadcrumbing. They hypothesized that people who had previously been ghosted or breadcrumbed would be more likely to engage in those same behaviors themselves. They also expected that higher levels of moral disengagement, toxic disinhibition, rejection sensitivity, and psychological distress would be linked to a greater likelihood of ghosting or breadcrumbing others.
The study included 578 young adults in Romania between the ages of 18 and 27, with an average age of 20. Approximately 72% of participants were women.
Participants completed several psychological assessments, including the Breadcrumbing in Affective-Sexual Relationships Questionnaire to measure breadcrumbing behavior, along with single-item measures for breadcrumbing and ghosting experiences (“How often did you experience breadcrumbing/ghosting?”) and behaviors (“How often did you use ghosting to end a relationship?”). Other instruments included an adapted version of the Propensity to Morally Disengage Scale, the Online Disinhibition Scale (to assess toxic online disinhibition), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) for psychological distress, and a measure of rejection sensitivity.
Moral disengagement refers to the tendency to rationalize unethical behavior in order to avoid guilt or self-censure. Toxic online disinhibition describes a person’s increased likelihood to behave aggressively or inappropriately online due to the anonymity and lack of immediate social consequences. Rejection sensitivity reflects a person’s heightened tendency to anticipate, perceive, and overreact to potential social rejection. Psychological distress encompasses emotional suffering that can interfere with daily life, often marked by symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress.
The results showed that individuals who had experienced more ghosting were significantly more likely to ghost others. Similarly, the strongest predictor of breadcrumbing behavior was having previously been breadcrumbed. More broadly, those who engaged in ghosting or breadcrumbing reported higher levels of moral disengagement, toxic disinhibition, and psychological distress.
Younger individuals in the sample were slightly more likely to engage in breadcrumbing and reported having been breadcrumbed more often. Rejection sensitivity was only weakly associated with breadcrumbing experiences, suggesting that individuals who were more sensitive to rejection were just slightly more likely to report having been breadcrumbed.
“Results suggested that breadcrumbing, regardless of relationship status, was influenced by breadcrumbing experiences, moral disengagement, toxic disinhibition, and psychological distress. Meanwhile, ghosting behavior was primarily predicted by personal experiences of being ghosted and psychological distress. These findings echo the Cycle of Violence theory, suggesting a potential cycle of negative online behaviors where victims may become perpetrators,” the study authors conclude.
The study sheds light on the psychological underpinnings of two important antisocial online behavior patterns. However, the findings are limited by the narrow age range of the participants. The results may not generalize to older populations or individuals from different cultural or demographic backgrounds.
The paper, “Online Fairytales: Breadcrumbing and Ghosting Behavior Among Young Adults,” was authored by Alexandra Cobzeanu and Cornelia Măirean.