Negative emotional and cognitive responses to being unfriended on Facebook: An exploratory study

We consider Facebook unfriending as a form of relationship termination with negative emotional and cognitive consequences. Specifically, ruminative and negative emotional responses are examined via an online survey of adult Facebook users who were unfriended. These responses were positively related to each other and to Facebook intensity. Rumination was positively predicted by using Facebook to connect with existing contacts and was more likely when the unfriender was a close partner. Participants also responded with greater rumination and negative emotion when they knew who unfriended them, when they thought they were unfriended for Facebook-related reasons, and when participants initiated the Facebook friend request. The contribution of these exploratory findings to our growing understanding of negative relational behaviors on Facebook are discussed.

► Being unfriended (or defriended) on Facebook is viewed as relational termination.
► Online surveys were used to examine adult Facebook users who were unfriended.
► Rumination and negative emotion were considered as consequences of being unfriended.
► These consequences differed according to both Facebook usage and relationship characteristics.
► The findings contribute to our understanding of negative relational Facebook behaviors.