Sometimes people don't respond as a way of deliberately signaling they're annoyed, or that they don't want to continue a relationship. Turkle says sometimes taking a long time to write back is a way of establishing dominance in a relationship, by making yourself look simply too busy and important to reply.
Sure, it's polite and respectful to respond to messages and answer questions as soon as possible, but taking a few hours — or even days — to do so doesn't always mean someone is actively trying to be rude or disrespectful toward you.
If a close friend stops replying to you, try talking to them about it, ideally in person. Tell them how it makes you feel without being confrontational. Ask whether something is going on in their life that's making them slow to reply.
I'm worried” This is the foremost thing to ask that person if they haven't been replying to you. Asking them about their current state of mind will let them know that you're eager to talk to them, no matter the situation. You would be surprised how much this simple question can affect people.
Give them some time to figure out how they feel and if they want to get in touch with you. A single message or call is fine, but don't send a bunch of texts like, “Why are you ignoring me?” “What did I do wrong?” or “Please talk to me!” These messages may annoy the person rather than get them to open up.
While you may know, rationally, that there are plenty of good reasons for someone not to respond to a text or an email—they're busy, they haven't seen the message yet, they're thinking about what they want to say—it doesn't always feel that way in a society where everyone seems to be on their smartphone all the time.
No response means you have reached the point where you are in control of who you give your time and energy to.” Having the last word or constantly having a retort doesn't necessarily mean power. It could showcase a reach for power, but not necessarily a grasp on it.
“Bad at texting” is a red flag
If the person you're dating is “bad at texting” and they don't make an effort to communicate with you in other ways, they're probably not interested. … Or, they're giving the bare-minimum effort in order to keep you around without investing too much of their own effort.
Close Settings. As a phrase, “dry texting” is relatively recent in the grand scheme of things. It refers to people who reply with one word, or don't carry the conversation and just say things like “lmao” and “wyd” until the receiver wants to tear their hair out in frustration or boredom.
A text exchange with no emotion could be a red flag, she notes. If the texts are flat, with no smiling in the language and little energy, this might be an indication the date is emotionally aloof. Some people manage the anxiety of attachment by trying to control their environment, Winsberg points out.
The guy may not be texting you every chance he gets free, but he may text you at least once in the day if he likes you. Just remember he has a life, a job, or maybe school and can't always text as often as you may be able to with your life. Just because he doesn't respond right away doesn't mean he's lost interest.
Silence can be a very powerful way to “be” with another person, especially when they are troubled. It can communicate acceptance of the other person as they are as of a given moment, and particularly when they have strong feelings like sorrow, fear or anger.
But, let me be clear: Non-response does not equal rejection. In other words, the absence of a positive reply — a return message — is not the same as someone turning you down.
No response isn't always a rejection. Sometimes, people have a perfectly genuine reason for not responding. Before you start to worry too much, bear in mind that they may simply be busy or at work and unable to respond just yet, even if they've managed to sneak a peek at your message.
Giving someone silent treatment is a form of manipulation. The silent treatment can be used to modify behavior. Being ignored has a huge effect on a person's mental state, so they're willing to do nearly anything to regain the manipulator's attention.
The silent treatment, or stonewalling, is a passive-aggressive form of manipulation and can be considered emotional abuse. It is a way to control another person by withholding communication, refusing to talk, or ignoring the person.
But here's the thing about blatantly ignoring someone: not only is it rude, immature, inconsiderate, cruel, and petty, it's downright emotionally (and sometimes physically) damaging. Ignoring someone is not an act of love. In fact, silent treatment qualifies as abuse.
That means when you try to ask what you can do to make things right and move forward, he says nothing. His silence is his answer. Tempted as you may be to rinse and repeat and barrage your friend with efforts to reconcile, you're likely to get the same result: no response.
Being ignored has the same effect in our brain as being rejected, according to science. However, its cause is something that you should worry about. Oscar Wilde said: “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
The silent treatment is a refusal to verbally communicate with someone, often as a means of punishment, emotional manipulation, or control. Although this type of behavior is more common in an intimate or romantic relationship, it can also happen with family members, friends, or co-workers.
With all of the constant noise you hear on a day-to-day basis, embracing silence can help stimulate your brain and help you process information. It can also help you become more self-aware and relieve stress.
Silence Helps You Concentrate
One of the major reasons why silence has become an important part of everyday life is the ability to focus as the modern world and its various noises enter your brain all at once. The ability to focus on different tasks is often accompanied by a little background noise.
If someone doesn't text back in your text conversation or avoids meeting up in real life, she just might not be interested anymore. It may seem like a big deal initially that she isn't responding, but with time, you may start thinking about her less and someone else who puts in effort with you more.
If you both just started dating, he may not be replying to your texts to play hard to get. He wants to see how interested you are in pursuing him. He may also just be trying not to seem too eager or needy. You can hope he will reciprocate your feelings eventually if he's playing hard to get for a while.