Fear of missing out impacts people of all ages

Date:
August 26, 2020
Source:
Washington State University
Summary:
The social anxiety that other people are having fun without you,
also known as FoMO, is more associated with loneliness, low
self-esteem and low self-compassion than with age, according to
a recent study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Social media addicted teenagers are not the only people who experience
the Fear of Missing Out also known as FoMO.


==========================================================================
In fact, not age, but aspects of self-perception -- namely loneliness,
low self-esteem and low self-compassion -- were more closely associated
with the social anxiety that other people are having fun without you,
according to a recent study by Washington State University researchers published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

"FoMO is not an adolescent or young adult problem, necessarily. It's
really about individual differences, irrespective of age," said Chris
Barry, a WSU psychology professor and the lead author on the study. "We expected FoMO to be higher in younger age groups, particularly because
of the tremendous amount of social development happening at those times,
but that's not what we found." Barry and co-author Megan Wong, a WSU undergraduate student, conducted a survey of more than 400 people across
the United States from different age cohorts ranging from 14 to 47,
asking a range of questions related to self-perception, life satisfaction
and social media use.

The researchers found that social media use was not a good predictor
of FoMO.

For instance, two people with the same social media engagement may be
affected quite differently: one might have few negative feelings about
seeing their friends' activities while the other might find it upsetting.

"We're not all equally prone to the Fear of Missing Out, but for those who
are, social media can exacerbate it," said Barry. "Social media allows
you to witness what other people are doing and what's going on in their
lives. If there's already concern about missing out, then there will be distress at seeing that on social media." For people experiencing this
kind of distress, Barry suggested that it may be good to reduce social
media use or cut it off altogether for a period of time.

The study did find one silver-lining: while FoMO can have negative
impacts, it did not appear to relate to the respondents' sense of life satisfaction. Barry said this indicates that FoMO is not an overwhelming
social anxiety.

The researchers suggest that those who want to reduce their feelings
of FoMO should try addressing their negative self-perceptions such
as practicing better self-compassion by viewing personal setbacks as opportunities for growth, taking steps to reduce loneliness and shifting
focus away from the distant experiences of others.

"To do something about FoMO, individuals can foster a greater sense of
real connectedness to others which will lessen feelings of isolation. You
can also try being more in the moment, concentrating on what is in
front of you as opposed to focusing on what else is going on out there,"
Barry said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Washington_State_University. Original written by Sara Zaske. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Christopher T. Barry, Megan Y. Wong. Fear of missing out (FoMO): A
generational phenomenon or an individual difference? Journal of
Social and Personal Relationships, 2020; 026540752094539 DOI:
10.1177/ 0265407520945394 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826101624.htm

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