The people who walk away quietly were usually the ones who tried the longest before leaving - Silicon Canals

"Research on relationship dissolution - whether romantic, familial, or professional - consistently shows that the person who ultimately leaves has usually been signalling distress for a very long time. A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that people go through a prolonged "disillusionment" phase before ending close bonds, marked by repeated attempts to address problems before emotionally disengaging."

"The quiet departure doesn't come from indifference. It comes from exhaustion. They didn't stop caring. They stopped hoping. There's a critical distinction most people miss: the difference between giving up and being depleted. Giving up implies someone didn't try hard enough. Depletion means they tried until there was nothing left."

Quiet departures are often mischaracterized as sudden or selfish, when research shows they follow prolonged periods of unaddressed distress. People leaving relationships—romantic, familial, or professional—typically go through extended disillusionment phases with repeated attempts to address problems before emotionally disengaging. The distinction between giving up and depletion is critical: those who leave have usually exhausted their efforts rather than failing to try. Friends stop initiating contact, partners cease raising concerns, and employees resign calmly after years of unheeded advocacy. The quiet exit reflects not indifference but the absence of hope, following a long process of signaling distress that others often fail to recognize or address.

Read at Silicon Canals