The Psychology Behind FOMO Fear of Missing Out

Before social media, you didn’t know at any given moment whether other people were having more or less fun than you. But now, you’ve got a window – a very well-curated one – into other people’s lives all day, every day. Completely unplugging may not always be necessary to cultivate jomo. Some researchers suggest that adopting more mindful social media consumption habits can help transform fomo to jomo, without abandoning social media altogether.

How Does FOMO Affect People?

For example, if you have a toxic friend who is always boasting about how great their life is compared to yours, you could consider letting this friendship end. Limiting your social media use is one of the best ways to reduce FOMO in your relationship. When individuals believe they are not living up to these expectations, it can lead to unnecessary stress and a persistent fear of falling behind. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram can create an environment where couples feel obligated to showcase their love in particular ways, like posting extravagant date nights or lavish vacations.

• That’s because, at any time of day or night, you can scroll through your feed and fixate on what’s happening in the world and what other people are doing without you.
• At the same time, experiencing FOMO from observing the lives of other people on social media can deepen your sense of loneliness, or make a boring task seem even worse.
• 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.
• Humans are wired for connection and involvement, but the fear of missing out may negatively affect physical and mental wellness.

Are You Feeling Suicidal?

It can be good for mental health to be thankful for everything you have already accomplished in life and the people in your life. With gratitude, you may be less tempted to seek out what others have on social nsfx demo account review media. If you find that spending too much time on social media triggers a feeling of FOMO, it may be useful to cut back on the time you spend on this. A critical review of various research studies discusses how passively scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites exacerbates social comparisons and envy.

It can feel like you are always being bombarded with reminders of the happiness of others, intensifying the fear that you are not experiencing the same level of contentment in your own relationship. Social media provides a continuous stream of relationship updates, making it challenging for individuals to disconnect and focus on their own relationship. If you how to stake crypto are continually witnessing these perfectionist portrayals, you may start to expect similar perfection in your own relationships. Social media exacerbates FOMO in relationships by enabling constant comparisons to others.

If you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or some other mental health issue, consider looking into local support groups or group therapy options. You may even be able to find groups for issues like smartphone and internet addiction. As you reduce your time on social media, it might also be helpful to remember that most people’s posts are carefully curated.

Now that you know how to use FOMO in a sentence, you can start worrying about when to use the word. You should use FOMO only to describe a situation where someone is anxious about missing out on an opportunity. Mentally and emotionally, you might experience an increase in intrusive thoughts. You might even become consumed by the cycle of negative self-talk, making it more difficult to manage and believe in your own sense of self-worth and self-esteem. This exercise might help you see which relationships and activities you should focus more on than the ones that lead to FOMO.

How does FOMO affect your health?

This can invade privacy, raise questions about their motivations and priorities, and create pressure to conform to the idealized image they have portrayed. These comparisons can lead to feelings of inadequacy and the fear that your own relationship is not measuring up to the carefully selected highlights of others. This intensifies FOMO as you may feel like you are missing out on something important or better.

For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional. While FoMO is more universally experienced, FoBO is more linked to privilege and wealth, Mcginnis told the Guardian. “To have FoBO you must have options. So the richer you are, the more powerful you are, the more options you have. That’s when you start to feel it,” he noted. Your self-esteem may also take a hit, especially if you feel like you don’t “belong” or are not measuring up to social expectations.

Jomo is a rather unusual form of joy because it involves positive feelings due to the absence of an event or experience rather than the presence of a positive event. But that doesn’t make new listing token it any less valuable for supporting wellbeing. As individuals, we’re entitled to live different yet fulfilling lives without measuring ourselves against the difference around us. FOMO can really chew up the contentment we can enjoy without social comparison and spit a ton of social inferiority.

Conversely, the feeling of FOMO affects the brain similar to other anxiety conditions by activating a “fight or flight” response, says Dr. 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. Sometimes, the fear of missing out can point to feeling disconnected from what you truly value as important in your life. Avoiding feelings of FOMO can often mean working on breaking negative cycles.

Low levels of satisfaction with the basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness may tend towards higher levels of FOMO than those with their needs met. Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Information provided on Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans.

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