The illusion of affection: unravelling the process of love bombing

Abstract

Love bombing is a new term that has emerged in the discussion of emotional abuse and modern dating culture. The current study explores the relationship between love bombing, ghosting, attachment styles, and narcissism among female undergraduate students. Participants completed surveys and answered questions assessing their experiences with love bombing, ghosting, attachment styles, and narcissistic traits in their partners. Many participants have experienced love bombing and ghosting. A relationship was found being love bombed and using ghosting as a tactic to end the relationship. Attachment styles also played a role, with anxious attachment being associated with being a recipient of love bombing and avoidant attachment being related to one being less likely to ghost. Recipients of love bombing rated their partners as higher in narcissistic traits, consistent with previous research that found love bombing is driven by those who have narcissistic traits. The present study’s findings contribute to the growing literature on manipulative relationship behaviors, shining light on ghosting as a potential response to being overwhelmed in a relationship or toxic relationship patterns. Future research should explore these behaviors across a larger and more diverse sample to better understand their impact on romantic relationships and emotional well-being.