Adolescents and young people may be particularly susceptible to the effects of FOMO. Seeing friends and others posting on social media can lead to comparison and an intense fear of will a 200 ripple make me a millionaire after 10 years missing out on things their peers are experiencing. People who are lonely or who engage in social avoidance tend to experience more FOMO and higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.
It can provide a wonderful means of connectedness but is not to be used in lieu of all other human relation. The online illusion of other people’s perceived popularity and busy social calendar can be dangerous when it comes to FoMO, sometimes further isolating us, and prompting negative self-comparison. Individuals living with social anxiety are also at risk, notes Dr. Dattilo.
Sometimes, the fear of missing out can even affect your mental and physical well-being. Feeling like you’re always missing out on things can create anxiety and worsen feelings of loneliness and depression. FoMO can lead us to get addicted to our phones or hooked on social media because we don’t want to miss anything. As a result, you don’t get the full benefit of your experiences and can even end up hurting your relationships. Having constant access to our cellphones and the internet can be really helpful.
- Sometimes, the fear of missing out can even affect your mental and physical well-being.
- You can change your feed to show you less of what triggers your FOMO and more of what makes you feel good about yourself.
- When we see posts that make us happy on social media (or when someone “likes” our posts), it increases the hormone dopamine in the brain, lighting up the brain’s reward system, explains Dr. Dattilo.
- And so you’d make a plan for Friday night and you’d go somewhere, and you’d stay there, and that’s what you did.” But with sites such as Facebook, you could now constantly check to see what else was going on in your social circle.
Health Categories to Explore
MoMO on the other hand is about the imagined — suspecting that a social event is happening, and you weren’t invited but having no proof. In one 2013 study, a group of psychologists defined FoMO simply as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.” Some research has shown men to be more susceptible to FOMO than women. Future research is needed to understand the role gender plays in shaping the experience of FOMO. Talkspace is an online therapy platform that provides users the confidential support of a licensed therapist through an easy-to-use and HIPAA-compliant app. Constantly weighing options in every aspect of our lives, we end up with “decision fatigue” and the dreaded FOMO.
Seek Out Real Connections
Conversely, the feeling of FOMO affects the brain similar to other anxiety conditions by activating a “fight or flight” response, says Dr. urgent questions to doge’s palace Dattilo. “The brain perceives a threat, a social threat in this case, and puts us on high alert. Our nervous system gets agitated and then we become uncomfortable and motivated to find relief,” she continues. While social media can seem like an easy shortcut to community, it is a double-edged sword.
What is FoMO and FoBO?
We can check the weather, read the news, or learn about events, wherever we are. But, because we now know of so many things that are going on in other places—online and in real life—we can start to believe we are missing out on fun or important experiences. This feeling is referred to as fear of missing out, or FoMO, for short.
But both are just a distraction from real life, and both have the real potential to take us out of the present moment. FOMO isn’t entirely dependent on social media (though, social media is perhaps FOMO’s biggest culprit). By Elizabeth Scott, PhDElizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive cryptocurrency litecoin exchange binance bittrex psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. This is easier said than done on social media, where we may be bombarded with images of things we do not have, but it can be done. Add more positive people to your feed; hide people who tend to brag too much or who are not supportive of you.
FOMO and teens
Keeping a journal can help you to shift your focus from public approval to private appreciation of the things that make your life great. This shift can sometimes help you to get out of the cycle of social media and FOMO. The fear of missing out, or FOMO, refers to the feeling or perception that others are having more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than you are.
If you feel you are suffering from feelings of missing out, it can be helpful to reach out to a friend or spend some time reflecting on the things you are grateful for in your life. Activities like these can help us put things in perspective as we gather a greater sense of belonging and release the anxiety of “missing out” on anything. If doing a complete digital detox isn’t possible, consider limiting your use of certain social media apps that make you feel as if you are missing out. Temporarily remove those apps, set daily limits on how much you will use them, or cull your feel to remove people who make you feel bad about yourself or your life.
FOMO can contribute to peer pressure, leading teens to engage in risky behaviors they might otherwise avoid. Because the teenage brain is still developing, teens may engage in such actions without considering the lasting consequences. And while younger people may be more likely to experience it, anyone can feel left out. When you have a clear idea of who or what causes your fears of missing out, it may be easier to reframe your relationship around those thoughts and feelings. Putting your phone down and spending time with loved ones face-to-face can be a great way to re-center your most important relationships. Detoxing from social media that may cause FOMO can also be a great way to refresh your connection to yourself and what you love.