Does the silent treatment work?

The silent treatment works depending on your goal.

If you're trying to show that you're upset and aren't really pushing for a meaningful change in the relationship, then yes. It will get the other person's attention but it more often creates more frustration than fix underlying problems.

When the silent treatment becomes a pattern it becomes detrimental to the mental health of both parties involved.

Many studies have been conducted about the silent treatment in familial relationships and romantic relationships and the outcome showed that those who used the silent treatment against their parents had self-esteem issues and the parents who used it on their children reported that the children felt like they had no control within the relationship.

Moreover, in romantic relationships, the partners who used the silent treatment were less committed to their relationship than those who don't.