The fear of missing out (FoMO) that drives so many trends is often viewed as something that afflicts the young as they strive to jump on every passing thing in order to keep up with their peers.  Research from Washington State University suggests this perception is wrong, and age is not what drives FoMO but aspects of our self-perception, such as loneliness, self-esteem, and self-compassion.  These can drive social anxiety because they can encourage us to think people are having fun without us.

“FoMO is not an adolescent or young adult problem, necessarily. It’s really about individual differences, irrespective of age,” the researchers say. “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.”

Missing out

The researchers quizzed a few hundred people aged between 14 and 47, with the questions related to things such as social media usage, life satisfaction, and self-perception.

The results reveal that social media wasn’t a good predictor of FoMO, as people with almost identical social media usage could be affected in very different ways about the activities of their friends.

“We’re not all equally prone to the Fear of Missing Out, but for those who are, social media can exacerbate it,” the researchers say. “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.”

If you are prone to experience this kind of distress, however, reducing social media or even stopping using it altogether for a period of time could be hugely beneficial.

Life satisfaction

Interestingly, however, while FoMO can have a range of negative impacts, the results suggest that the overall impact on our sense of life satisfaction appears to be limited.  In other words, it’s not a social anxiety that overwhelms us.

If people wish to reduce their feelings of FoMO, the researchers advocate focusing their efforts on addressing their negative self-perception.  For instance, they may choose to practice better self-compassion and start viewing personal setbacks as opportunities for growth.  Equally, they might take steps to reduce any loneliness they may feel and move their focus away from the experiences of other people.

“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,” the researchers conclude.