I tried to talk to her about calming down on this since awkward moments happen to everyone. I even told her how my dad walked in on me with an ex a couple of years ago, but she only got more upset and said I needed to start deadbolting the apartment when she was over if I was going to share my keys. We conducted an experiment during an after-work 21-and-up social event at a southeastern U.S. science museum. The entrance fee was $24.00 and all 400 available tickets had been sold. During the event, visitors could sample beer and participate in interactive games across 26 different stations. We had a table where visitors could fill out a five-minute survey for a chance to win a free museum membership for the whole year.
You don’t like to be by yourself
Third, regret requires the realization that another decision would have been better, and is therefore experienced if a decision’s outcome is negative . As we show in study 1C, FOMO may be experienced even during experiences individuals find highly enjoyable and have no negative emotions about. Mere awareness of the desirable alternatives may induce FOMO, even though a person may be content with the current situation. According to another research, the fear of missing out psychology isn’t age-restricted. It can happen to anyone as long as they unconsciously have a higher smartphone or social media usage.
What causes FOMO?
Recent work has started to explore FOMO as a momentary feeling, shedding light on when, why, and how it occurs. For example, Milyavskaya et al. analyzed individuals’ momentary FOMO https://loveconnectionreviews.com/ experiences in an experience-sampling study. They showed that FOMO mostly occurs later in the day and the week, and while one is doing a required task like studying or working.
Detoxing from social media that may cause FOMO can also be a great way to refresh your connection to yourself and what you love. FOMO can happen when you don’t get invited to a party, when your co-workers go out after work without you, or when you aren’t participating in the latest trends on social media. Humans are wired for connection and involvement, but the fear of missing out may negatively affect physical and mental wellness.
Another way that psychologists have studied FOMO is by focusing on how a feeling of “belonging” can influence our self-esteem, continues Dr. Vogel. “When we feel as if we’re part of a community and others approve of us, we feel better about ourselves. When we don’t get that sense of community approval, we feel worse about ourselves,” she says. This was the year Facebook launched, one of the first large online spaces where people were able to publicly display their friendships and what they were doing through status updates and photos.
Feeling like you’re always missing out on things can create anxiety and worsen feelings of loneliness and depression. One of the very few positive things the pandemic gave us was the ability to say no to plans. For the first time in forever, the fear of missing out on parties, concerts, dinners, festivals and other memorable events had been completely squashed. Despite the whole dreadful pandemic thing, not feeling anxious over skipping a hangout came as a relief. In turn, greater engagement with social media can make us feel worse about ourselves and our lives, not better. In this way, it helps to know that our attempts to alleviate feelings of FOMO can actually lead to behaviors that exacerbate it.
The fear of missing out psychology involves several other factors apart from social media. For example, constantly wanting to know the trending songs and movies could indicate an increase in FOMO. As long as your interest is obsessively and unhealthily into what a greater portion of the population is doing, it reveals you have FOMO.
Adams further showed that momentary FOMO leads to a delay in time when students go to sleep, because they do not want to miss out on socializing opportunities. Hodkinson examined FOMO in the consumer context for the first time, and conceptually presented consumer response mechanisms to FOMO-based advertising appeals. Having a fear of missing out can make your life look colorless even when it’s not. Most people with severe FOMO also admit that they often resort back to social media to cure it, but it ironically only aggravates it. People might wonder, “The fear of missing out FOMO, is it real or not?
The innate desire for social connection and belonging can drive FOMO. It’s natural for humans to feel a need for interpersonal relationships and want to belong to something greater than themselves. Reopenings and, subsequently, the return of FOMO have created difficult and conflicting feelings for almost everyone. In his piece, Schneier spoke to people who were experiencing the anxiety of absence but still not inclined to go out. On TikTok, meanwhile, tons of users are expressing that they kind of miss lockdown. They felt secure in the fact that they weren’t the only ones staying home and no longer felt jealous watching others go out and do things.
Studies show that engaging in gratitude-enhancing activities like gratitude journaling or simply telling others what you appreciate about them can lift your spirits as well as those of everyone around you. Here is what you should know about the history of FOMO, what research says, how to recognize it in your life, and how to manage FOMO to keep it from negatively affecting your happiness. Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
The fear of missing out phobia name, FOMO, is increasingly common in today’s age. Many people are becoming unsatisfied with their lives merely because of what they see others doing. This fixation isn’t healthy because it comes from a place of discontentment and not a sense of self-development.
The Psychology of FOMO
FOMO could influence some teens to do something unsafe or that they wouldn’t typically do without considering the consequences. Social media can cause people to compare themselves to others, which may lead to a negative self-image, especially in younger people. For people looking to move away from constant pursuit of the chase, Jacobs recommends exploring other sources of adrenaline-filled excitement. But craving newness and excitement—or experiencing relationship FOMO once the initial heat cools to a simmer—isn’t limited to one gender.