FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), i.e. the fear of “missing something”, is a real psychological phenomenon. And extremely timely during the holiday season. According to recent research, FOMO is mostly related to the specific people one loses, and not so much to the loss itself. A research group led by Jacqueline Rivkin, a researcher at Cornell University in the US, studied the social dimensions and background of the phenomenon called “Fear of Missing Out”.

Typically, FOMO expresses the feeling of missing out on something – whether it’s a concert, a party, or another social event. However, it turns out that anxiety about missing out on social interactions is what amplifies the feeling of FOMO the most.

Emotions like jealousy and sadness are real – emotions you feel because you… missed the Taylor Swift concert or the championship final. But the study also focused on simpler moments that one misses.

According to the study, people experience FOMO mainly when they cannot be present at social gatherings.

What is FOMO?

“Basically, it’s about the fear that many of us feel when we miss a social meeting with people who are really important to us. It’s this strange feeling that others are meeting and we’re absent,” explains Jacqueline Rivkin on DW’s science podcast Science Unscripted.

The term FOMO or “Fear of Missing Out” has been around for about 20 years. It started with online communities and has since established itself. The research studied the reactions and feelings of people of all age groups, proving that FOMO is not a youth-only phenomenon. “We’ve found that almost anyone can experience FOMO when there’s a social group or circle of people that’s central to that person’s life,” says Rivkin. Thus, it is a term that is particularly relevant these days: The Christmas and New Year period is for some an opportunity for social gatherings and time with family, while for others it is a very lonely time…

Typical FOMO symptoms

Over the past decade many studies have examined the effects of FOMO, with the goal of understanding this “new” emotion. Research has shown a link between FOMO and potential health effects such as sleep disturbances, social anxiety, depression and lower academic performance. Another University of Toledo study suggests that frequent or excessive smartphone use can cause feelings of FOMO, or some kind of emotional dysfunction.

Edited by: Chrysa Vachtsevanu