Beware of a New Toxic Dating Trend: “Ghostlighting”

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Amy and TJ is about it.

With that welcome to this episode, this is one of these we do every once in a while.

They can be fun.

We should do them more often.

But Robes has kept me in the dark about this new dating trend that's out there and she

wanted to get my honest, immediate, authentic reaction to it.

I really don't know what this is.

Yes, I love, you know, I don't know about any of you, but I love reading about new dating

trends or toxic dating trends.

Even though I'm not dating, it's just kind of funny to see where things are and honestly

with my daughter's dating, it's just, it's so different than when we were in the mix.

But there is a new, it's called a toxic dating trend.

Toxic, so this isn't a good thing.

It's not a good thing and it's something to be aware of.

So if you're out there and I say this phrase, you may be like, aha, been there, done that,

seen it, experienced it.

But I want to get what you think this might be.

It's called ghost lighting.

It's called, well, we have gas lighting, right?

So ghosting, am I on the right track?

What ghosting is is when you just bounce on somebody.

So ghost lighting, is it when, huh, what is it?

You disappear, but blame the other person for it.

How does this work?

Okay, that's actually you're on the right track.

So it's a toxic combination of ghosting and gas lighting.

So you got that right.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Here's what happens.

Ghostlighters, they'll, they'll ghost.

They'll drop all communication.

You won't know where they went or why they left.

And then they'll reinitiate contact later and act as if nothing happened and they

didn't do anything wrong.

So they gaslight you after they ghost you.

They don't come back and explain why they've been gone.

They just show back up and everything's normal.

I want to grab a drink.

Yep.

So they gas.

So here's what they do.

They, they ghost.

They show back up and then they gaslight the person they were dating into believing.

They never ghosted them.

What?

You convinced someone that, oh, I wasn't going, I didn't hear from you.

That kind of a thing.

Oh, you never hit me back.

I remember we supposed to go to this thing.

I didn't hear from you.

Now, how much time are we talking?

Like a week, two weeks, two months, six months?

It could be any period of time.

So I, there was a dating expert who put it like this when she was trying to describe

what ghost lighting is.

This is so interesting.

She said what makes it different from simple ghosting is the psychological twist.

Ghosting is avoidance.

Ghost lighting adds distortion by manipulating the facts.

So you're doubting your own reality, which is gaslighting.

Correct.

Perfect.

So they were saying here's what you look out for because when the ghost lighter

reinitiates contact and wants to reach out to you and, and, and hit you up,

they'll do it on social media likes first.

So it's kind of subtle.

They'll start liking your social media posts again.

Or they might slide into your DMs, just kind of like casually like, hey, checking in on you

or they'll actually start texting you.

But they're saying that this is now a trend that's emerging that has never really been seen before.

Because now, yes, everyone's on dating apps.

Everyone, they're not doing the face to face stuff.

So when you're doing it on apps and you're texting, they can kind of make you think like,

oh, well, maybe I just missed this DM.

That makes sense.

Just, you've heard folks, because we love to watch some of these dating shows like 90 day

fiancee, you've heard people react like, oh, he's liking my, my posts now.

Does that mean that he wants to get back to what's that saying?

So everyone's always trying to interpret online activity differently.

And so that leaves some gray area for this to occur.

Does this, does it happen?

Whatever you're researching and reading, is it happen equally with men and women?

Is, is a man more likely to do within a woman to do it or it's equal opportunity here?

Well, that wasn't.

I didn't see that, but I would, if I'm just a, someone basing this on anecdotal evidence,

I would think this is maybe more something that men, why?

Because it just is.

How many women just ghost men?

I mean, I guess it happens, but I feel like it's more men who do that.

That ghost women, huh?

How would I know?

I don't know what's going on in this dating world.

And you know what?

And I don't think people in the dating world know what's going on in the dating world,

because they say so many relationships are now situationships.

So many connections are in a gray zone.

I see this and hear this from my daughters.

I'm confused.

What's a situation ship again?

No, we hear it all the time.

We think we have a general idea.

Is this what we called what friends with benefits or what do we call this at some point,

a situation ship where you're, you're seeing other people?

Maybe, but it's kind of unclear.

Like you're in a situation with this person, but it's not a defined relationship.

So you're texting, right?

People want their damning.

Some people want that.

You're seeing each other.

But you haven't actually defined what your relationship is.

And look, I know that people, I don't think, have these social skills or a lot of younger folks

don't, and haven't developed the face-to-face social skills.

Were you actually flat out say, hey, what is this that we're doing?

Are we, are we, are we?

Social skills to ask a question.

Yeah, because I think it feels, oh, that's too intrusive, right?

I don't want to push.

You know, there, how do we get there?

But even hear your own 13-year-old daughter who's just now starting to have friends

saying who's dating whom.

And it's all happening on text.

It's all happening on social media.

It's not happening face-to-face the same way it did with us.

We pass notes maybe in class, but that's, we still had to communicate face-to-face or at least on the phone.

But because of now how people go about dating and interacting, it has opened up an opportunity

for something like ghost lighting to be prevalent is what you're saying.

Correct.

How much of this though is somebody having a regret or a second thought?

Or say, okay, I'm, I'm bored tonight.

Let me go hit this person up again.

Yeah.

Right, is that, I'm trying, I'm trying to find the motivation for the ghost lighting.

Is it just a matter of, hey, we're, I'm seeing other people, you're seeing other people.

I'll get back to you when I can, when I need to or when I'm bored.

Yeah, I think the ghost lighting is someone trying to control what they want when they want it.

And then not wanting to take any sort of responsibility for what that might do to someone else psychologically.

Well, you should just call that a crappy partner, right?

Wasn't that what that is?

A jerk, an asshole.

Yes, that's what it is.

But I thought this was interesting.

The, this dating expert who was weighing in on this, I, I was reading this article.

She said, the ambiguity, this gray zone, you know, that we're talking about where no one really knows

where things stands, everyone is just in a situation.

That ambiguity is what gives people now today an easy exit out of a relationship.

And then when someone can exit without any consequence, they can come back without any consequence.

And that is what is happening.

Oh, because you're not actually, you're not actually being reprimanded, if you will, for being wrong or being a jerk or for dumping anybody.

Right, because it was, it was never clear what you were anyway.

And so that's part of the issue.

So, so there, there are some tips for folks, for anyone out there.

If this is ringing a bell, if this is resonated, if you were like, oh my God, that's what's happening to me.

If now it has a name.

Before you get to the tips, where did this come, like this, are they just another thing where they start assigning names to things on social media?

Or there's something that has been researched by therapists, what, where has this come from in the name?

People start talking about it online, people start then realizing it's happening actually quite often.

And then yes, people give it cute names.

And I don't know if this has gotten any sort of grant for funding to research.

But it is interesting.

You hear, but we were actually laughing about all these trends.

There was something this week called Alpine Divorce. It was macabre.

I was like, what you go and do outdoor activities and then leave and leave them alone and they have to find their way home.

What, that sounds like a date line.

Look for that episode tomorrow.

Alpine Divorce, I didn't even want to go there.

I felt like ghost lighting was a little safer space to talk about.

But if it's happening to you, these are the tips from folks.

Relationship experts, they say, do not smooth it over.

Call that person out.

You have to say to them, they actually gave language to use to somebody.

Like I think people are afraid of demanding what they want or speaking out loud, what they deserve.

And so they just kind of let stuff happen.

They're saying you have to actually call people out and say when you stopped responding,

I took that as a lack of interest and a lack of communication.

And then the big thing is pots.

See what they say back. Don't start explaining how you felt or just say you stopped responding.

I took that as you didn't want to be in this relationship.

You weren't communicating with me.

First of all, it wasn't a relationship.

It was a situation ship.

It's how a jerk would respond.

Yes.

And so, yes.

And the point being is listen, pause, do not say anything else.

I think that's something that I have to remember to do often.

Don't fill the silence.

Silence is so powerful because eventually that tension, that silence,

will force the other person to have to speak.

And then you have to listen.

Do they take, do they take responsibility?

Make sure they acknowledge you're right.

I did stop communicating with you.

Or if they just minimize it or deflect.

Well, you were busy and I was busy and you knew I had to go.

Then you know that person is making excuses and is not going to be serious about this relationship.

You have more tips on the list.

Well, that's, that's the big.

You, you just need to demand an answer.

You cannot take ambiguity as a response.

Okay, ask her that.

You just triggered another question.

Is it always intentionally manipulative?

Or is this something that's just a consequence of how people are dating now?

You know what?

I think it might be, it might be both.

I think, I think you also could maybe unintentionally do this.

Maybe just because it's permitted.

If no one calls you on it, I do think that that happens a lot with bad behavior.

If you are being allowed to behave a certain way, think about a kid with a parent.

You're probably going to do it because we are selfish by nature.

That is, that is survival, right?

We are born selfish.

So yeah, we're going to take what we want when we want it.

And then we're going to move until someone calls you on it.

And so that's kind of the point.

If you are serious about being in a relationship with somebody, you cannot let this slide.

You have to call them on it.

So when we come back, we're going to tell you now what the relationship experts say you should never do

if you think you're being ghost-lighted.

Welcome back to Amy and TJ.

We're like, she's laughing at me because what's the right language?

This is the new word.

So I don't know past tense.

It's ghost-lighted, a ghost lit.

So during the commercial break, that is the question he asked me.

And I laughed so hard because I hadn't considered it.

I guess I was using it as a verb.

And ghost-lighting is an action.

Have you been ghost-lit?

I just got ghost-lit.

Or have you been ghost-lighted?

I don't know.

What you want to go with?

That's funny.

But yes, ghost-lighting.

This is interesting.

But I am actually the question before we went to the break.

I'm fascinated by the idea of if this is just a consequence.

It is not necessarily intentional or meant to be manipulated.

I'm sure someone does that.

But just the nature of how they do it now.

I think I...

Well, one of your daughters.

I hear about their dating and how they go about it.

And it's just...

What do you mean you haven't met?

What do you mean you've been talking on what?

What do you mean this and that?

And you're just going for this.

I don't understand their dating.

So it's a matter of sometimes you don't have to follow up.

You don't have to reach out again.

You don't have to see that person in the hallway or at the office or in the call.

You don't see him.

I know.

And yet your feeling is still good-hurt, right?

Nothing's changed about who we are on the inside.

And I think about it from a female perspective.

And a lot of these...

Look, you're wanting answers, but you're afraid to push too hard.

You don't want to be annoying or ask, well, do you really like me?

You don't want to seem insecure.

And in that sense,

you just let people get away with treating you like crap.

Because you don't want to be demanding and you don't want to be that girl.

And so I do think...

Slow down.

Yes.

Yes. And I do...

Look, back in the day,

this was all happening on phone in a real conversation.

Now this is all happening by text.

So yes, I hear from...

You're right, one of my daughters.

She was like, I don't know what's going on.

He was texting me for hours and hours and hours and then silent.

And I don't know what to do.

Because they never saw each other and they're not talking.

It's extra confusing.

It's a total mind game.

And then they laugh at me because when I hear that story from your daughters about dating,

I say, what's the problem here?

Send a message right now and ask, what's up?

What's the big deal?

Why are we sitting around?

And I get shot down every time.

Of course I'm not going to do that.

Of course you can't do that.

Of course you can't reach out.

Of course you can't talk.

You've got to play it cool.

You've got to play it like you don't care.

You've got to play it like it didn't matter.

It didn't matter.

And it wasn't a big deal.

And oh, I wasn't that into you anyway.

That's the ego talking.

But yeah.

You know where I am on that.

We just don't have time.

We're grown.

We're adults, folks.

It's okay to ask somebody how they feel about you.

Stere projection is what it is.

And you know what?

Get rejected now instead of in five years.

It's okay.

Like it's okay.

We're not building ourselves up.

We're not building our kids up for disappointment later.

It'd be much better to be disappointed now.

You have to go through these things.

You don't have a time.

My heart was broken before I was a senior in high school.

I mean, you just, you go through it.

You just, it's a part of it.

So I, I see these games sometimes being played.

And it's, it's a whole new.

I know.

It's a whole new world.

All right.

Well, if you think this is happening to you,

here is what not to do.

I love this advice.

It's applicable to so many things.

We were just talking about everyone always wanting the why.

And it's so destructive.

Number one, no matter what,

do not look for why they go slighted you.

The quote from the relationship expert is this,

it can drive you crazy trying to psychoanalyze the person

and figure out why they did it.

It does not help to solve the mystery.

Are they saying that don't even ask the person why?

Yes.

Or just don't get in your own head.

Either way, they say, yes, don't look for it.

They say it actually helps you heal

to not solve the mystery because it allows you,

this is what we were just saying, to process the hurt,

to process the rejection,

and to admit to yourself that it felt dismissive

and that it upset you.

We all, like we try to pretend like, oh, I didn't care.

I didn't like him that much anyway.

It didn't matter.

That is not helpful.

You're not acknowledging that it hurt you.

And you have to acknowledge that it hurt you to heal from it

and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I thought that was such good advice.

On a bunch of things, not just this, but that's good advice.

Yes.

This is applicable to so many things in life.

I just thought this was some of the best advice I had seen

and then that second thing to do, what not to do,

do not blame yourself for their actions.

Oh, my God.

No, this is what women do.

I can speak for myself.

If only I had said it this way.

If only I had done this differently.

If only I had whatever.

You start thinking about how you could have kept him

or not upset him.

And that is so dangerous.

Because now you're going to try and change what you want

or feel or think to make someone else like you.

Which is so dangerous.

We've all done it.

We've all been there.

But I just love to this advice.

That what not to do is so much better almost than even what to do.

What did I do that made him not want to reach out to me?

Correct.

Correct.

And it just eats away at your self-esteem.

It eats away at valuing yourself.

You start criticizing yourself for someone else's selfish actions.

Wow.

Ghost lighting.

Yep.

Who knew?

Who knew?

There was a different dating trend almost.

You introduced at least once a month.

Yeah.

But sometimes just once a week that there's some new thing

I had not heard about this one.

But you know what?

I think when you...

The reason why I love looking at all these dating trends

is it helps all of us in any relationship.

You just start understanding.

Maybe in having a fun little phrase or a way to say it.

Actually is something that there are lessons in some of these toxic dating trends

that actually happen in a lot of relationships and platonic ones too.

So anyway, everybody make sure that you're not the ghost lighter

or you're not getting ghost lit.

Ghost lighted.

You're not the ghost lighter and don't get ghost lit.

That's what we're going with.

That's what I went with.

Okay.

You know what always sounds good.

It's going to be lit up in here tonight.

Just don't get ghost lit.

Just don't get ghost lit.

All right, everybody.

And with that, thank you for listening to us.

I made me robot alongside TJ Holmes.

We will talk to you soon.

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Orderlymeds.com was built to be different.

Here, you connect with real doctors who take the time to understand your goals.

Review your eligibility and guide you through a plan that's right for you.

Orderlymeds provides access to proven GLP1 medications,

including both name brand options,

and personalized compound versions when appropriate.

So you have choices backed by clinical oversight.

Not guess where.

It's a simpler, more supportive telehealth experience,

designer on people who want clarity,

care, and confidence in their weight loss journey.

And your medication is delivered directly to your home and discrete packaging.

So your experience stays private from start to finish.

Do your research.

Ask the right questions.

Then visit orderlymeds.com slash podcast for an exclusive offer.

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This is Bowen Yang from Los Cultures.

It's Matt Rodgers and Bowen Yang.

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