FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” is a real condition that is spreading and can cause major stress in your life.
It can impact everyone, although certain people are more vulnerable.
Here’s what you should know about the history of Fear of Missing Out, what research says about it, how to spot it in your life, and how to manage Fear of Missing Out so that it doesn’t negatively impact your happiness.
What Is FOMO?
The emotion or perception that others are having more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than you are is referred to as the fear of missing out.
It causes intense envy and lowers self-esteem.
It is frequently aggravated by social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
FOMO is the feeling that you are missing out on something fundamentally significant that others are experiencing right now, rather than just the sense that there might be better things you might be doing right now.
It might refer to anything from a Friday night party to job advancement, but it always involves a sense of helplessness that you are missing out on something significant.
Brief History of FOMO
The notion that you might be missing out on a good time is not novel in this day and age.
However, while it has undoubtedly existed for millennia (evidence of FOMO can be found in ancient manuscripts), it has only recently been investigated, beginning with a 1996 research article by marketing strategist Dr. Dan Herman, who developed the term “fear of missing out.”
FOMO, on the other hand, has grown more visible and studied since the emergence of social media.
In some respects, social media has amplified the FOMO epidemic.
It creates a situation in which you compare your everyday existence to the highlights of other people’s lives.
As a result, your perception of “normal” becomes distorted, and you appear to be doing worse than your peers.
You may see comprehensive images of your friends having fun without you, which people may not have been as conscious of in previous generations.
Social media provides a platform for bragging; it is a place where objects, activities, and even happiness appear to compete at times.
People are comparing their most perfect experiences, which may make you wonder what you are missing.
The Benefits of FOMO in Crypto Trading
Bitcoin Motion may have some good news for crypto traders and investors.
Although FOMO can cause volatility, it is also an indication of widespread adoption and the growing popularity of bitcoin marketplaces.
People are terrified of missing out on excellent chances, therefore they hunt for ways to access the market through exchanges or other means.
Furthermore, once in the market, people are more likely to stay put even if the price falls because they do not want to miss out on gains.
However, if individuals believe that the markets are rigged or that whales are manipulating prices for their profit, FOMO can lead to skepticism in bitcoin markets.
As a result of FOMO, many newbies to the crypto markets fail to conduct adequate research and fall victim to exit schemes.
FOMO is a powerful force that may generate significant volatility in cryptocurrency markets, but it can also be positive as more people get educated about blockchain technology and seek methods to access these new marketplaces.
Before making a trading decision, you must consider other market signs as well.
FOMO should never be your primary motivation for making a deal.
Because cryptocurrency markets are mostly unregulated and contain significant risk, it is critical to educate yourself and evaluate all variables before trading.
However, there may be some good news for individuals wishing to enter the crypto markets.
As more individuals pour money into cryptocurrency markets in general, it will be more difficult for consumers to sell without first buying.
Related FOMO Terms
Several other related concepts have emerged as a result of FOMO:
- FOBO (Fear of Better Options): This is the fear of missing out on possibly better options.
- MOMO (Mystery of Missing Out): This refers to the fear of losing out yet having no idea what you’re missing out on.
- ROMO: (Reality of Missing Out): Knowing that you’re not missing out on anything.
- FOJI (Fear of Joining In): The fear of posting anything on social media and not receiving a response.
- JOMO (Joy of Missing Out): The reverse of FOMO, this term refers to joyful thoughts about missing out on something or withdrawing from social media.
FOMO Symptoms
- Constantly saying yes.
- Having a negative/excluded feeling upon missing out.
- Low life satisfaction.
- Excessive social media activity
- Busy lifestyle.
- Shiny object syndrome
- Concerned about what other people think.
- The desire to be surrounded by other people.
- Negative health behaviors
- Driving While Distracted
Research on FOMO
As more FOMO research is completed and made available, we are developing a better understanding of what it is and how it affects us.
The image is not beautiful, as FOMO has numerous harmful consequences, and it is more widespread than you might think.
Think about the following:
Social Networking Sites
Adolescents, unsurprisingly, utilize social networking sites at a high rate and may feel FOMO as a result.
Interestingly, FOMO functions as a stimulus for increased social networking utilization.
Girls who are depressed are more likely to use social networking sites, but anxious boys are more likely to use social networking sites.
This demonstrates that greater social media use can result in increased stress levels due to FOMO.
FOMO, Age, and Gender
Several studies have found that people of all ages can experience FOMO.
One study published in the journal Psychiatry Research discovered that the fear of missing out was associated with increased smartphone and social media usage and that this link was not associated with age or gender.
So what is the key cause of FOMO? While several factors are likely to be involved, the study also discovered that social media use and “problematic” smartphone usage were associated with a larger sensation of FOMO.
Smartphone use was associated with unfavorable and even good evaluations from others, as well as negative effects on mood.
Adolescents and young individuals may be especially vulnerable to FOMO’s impacts.
Seeing what friends and others are doing on social media can lead to comparison and a strong fear of losing out on what their peers are doing.
According to research, FOMO can contribute to:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Risky behavior (actions in some teenagers).
FOMO can contribute to peer pressure, causing teenagers to participate in risky actions that they would otherwise avoid.
Teens may engage in such acts without understanding the long-term effects because the teenage brain is still maturing.
Life Satisfaction Rating
Another study published in Computers and Human Behavior discovered various FOMO-related tendencies.
Fear of missing out has been linked to a weaker sense of having one’s needs addressed, as well as a worse overall sense of life satisfaction.
As other studies have suggested, FOMO is strongly linked to increased social media engagement—it appears that FOMO is linked to both feeling a need to engage in social media and increasing that engagement.
This suggests that FOMO and social media habits may help to perpetuate a bad, self-perpetuating loop.
Potential Dangers of FOMO
Fear of missing out, in addition to heightened emotions of sadness, can lead to increased involvement in undesirable behaviors.
For example, the same study published in Computers and Human Behavior discovered that FOMO was associated with distracted driving, which can be fatal in some situations.
Minimizing FOMO
If you suffer from FOMO, there are things you may take to alleviate it.
According to research, a fear of missing out can come from discontent and dissatisfaction with life, and these feelings might motivate us to increase our use of social media.
As a result, increased social media activity can make us feel worse about ourselves and our lives, rather than better.
In this regard, knowing that our attempts to ease FOMO can lead to behaviors that exacerbate it is beneficial. Understanding where the problem is, on the other hand, might be a fantastic first step toward overcoming it. The following suggestions may be useful.
Change Your Focus
Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, consider noticing what you do have.
This is easier said than done on social media, where we are constantly inundated with images of things we do not own, but it is possible. More positive people should be added to your feed, while negative people should be removed.
You may modify your feed to show less of what makes you feel bad about yourself and more of what makes you feel good about yourself.
Determine what is robbing you of your joy online. Work to reduce these as you add more of what makes you happy to your feed (and life).
Try a Digital Detox
Too much time spent on your phone or social media apps might amplify FOMO. Reduced usage, or even a digital detox in which you refrain from using digital devices, may allow you to focus more on your life without making continual comparisons.
If a complete digital detox isn’t possible, limit your use of particular social media apps that make you feel like you’re missing out. Remove those apps temporarily, put daily restrictions on how often you will use them, or filter your feelings to eliminate people who make you feel horrible about yourself or your life.
Keep a Journal
It is normal practice to use social media to keep track of the exciting activities you do. However, you may become preoccupied with whether people are validating your experiences online. If this is the case, you may choose to create a personal journal of your favorite recollections, either online or on paper, and take some of your images and memories offline.
Keeping a journal might help you shift your focus from public approbation to private enjoyment of the things in your life that make it wonderful.
This adjustment might occasionally assist you in breaking free from the cycle of social media and FOMO.
Seek Out Real Connections
When you are sad or nervous, you may find yourself desiring a deeper connection, which is normal.
Loneliness and exclusion are our brain’s methods of notifying us that we need to make more relationships with people and boost our sense of belonging.
Unfortunately, social media interaction is not always the best approach to accomplish this—you may find yourself running from one unpleasant scenario to another. Rather than attempting to connect with more individuals on social media, why not schedule a face-to-face meeting?
Making plans with a good friend, organizing a group outing, or doing anything social that gets you out with friends can be a refreshing change of pace and help you shake the feeling that you are missing out. It places you in the middle of the action.
If you don’t have time to make plans, a direct message to a friend on social media might develop a better and more intimate connection than publishing to all of your friends and hoping for “likes.”
Focus on Gratitude
According to research, participating in gratitude-enhancing activities such as gratitude writing or just telling others what you like about them can improve your spirits as well as the spirits of those around you.
This is due in part to the fact that it is more difficult to feel as if you lack the things you require in life when you are focused on the abundance you already have.
It also holds since making others happy makes us happy.
A mood boost could be just what you need to feel less gloomy or nervous.
When you know how much you already have, you will be less inclined to go down the rabbit hole of social networking and FOMO. You will begin to believe that you and others have everything they require in life. This can be quite beneficial to your mental and emotional wellbeing.
Social Media and Other Causes of FOMO
FOMO is triggered by anxiety about the prospect of missing out on a thrilling encounter or an essential opportunity. The amygdala – the region of the brain that determines whether or not something is a threat to survival – causes FOMO. This portion of the brain interprets the feeling of being excluded as a danger, causing worry and anxiety.
If a person is already extremely sensitive to environmental dangers, they are more likely to develop FOMO. This includes those who exhibit social anxiety, obsessive or compulsive habits (including obsessive-compulsive disorder) or have experienced emotional trauma in the past.
Smartphones and social media have exacerbated FOMO by putting people in circumstances where they are constantly comparing their lives to the idealized experiences they see shared online.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat make it easier than ever to see what other people are up to.
The glamorized versions of their life that are displayed on services like Instagram Stories or Facebook walls distort a user’s sense of normalcy and lead them to believe they are doing worse than their peers.
People look outward at the experiences of others rather than inside at the wonderful things that have happened in their lives.
The worry and discontent caused by FOMO, on the other hand, might push people to crave connection and engagement or to strengthen their attempts to not miss out by visiting different social networking websites more frequently.
In either case, people are driven back to social media, creating a dangerous circle.
As a result, social media is both a cause and a result of FOMO.
FOMO marketing has arisen as a method of enticing consumers to purchase specific products or attend events.
FOMO marketing exploits the customer’s fear of missing out to motivate them to act.
Some FOMO marketing methods include:
- Showcasing images of other people purchasing the products;
- Showing a countdown clock till the promotion expires;
- Creating competition by revealing how many other people are interested in the deal and
- Boosting experiences by displaying actual proof of others enjoying the event or product
While FOMO marketing is effective in increasing purchases, it has a detrimental impact on consumers by causing despair and anxiety caused by FOMO.
How to get over FOMO
Understanding what FOMO is and where it arises from is the first step toward defeating it and enhancing life satisfaction.
Once FOMO has been identified, steps can be made to eliminate it from a person’s life.
Most recommendations for persons trying to combat FOMO include taking breaks from social media and paying greater attention to the present moment, as well as the people and environment around them.
Being more present at the moment reduces stress and terror by removing dangers perceived by the amygdala.
FAQs
FOMO meaning stock
When it comes to investing, FOMO refers to the fear of missing out on lucrative investment opportunities, particularly ones that have generated a lot of publicity.
FOMO Meaning Cyber Security
Above personality traits, age, and gender, fear of missing out predicts employee information security awareness.
FOMO meaning crypto
The fear of losing out was a primary motivating reason behind Bitcoin’s price’s quick increase and fall in 2017.
Individuals who understand how to use fear of losing out can use it as a psychological weapon.
However, this is also an indication that cryptocurrency marketplaces are rapidly gaining traction.
Conclusion
Although FOMO is widely associated with social media use, it is crucial to note that it is a very real and widespread emotion shared by people of all ages. At some point in their lives, everyone has FOMO.
If you are experiencing thoughts of missing out, reaching out to a friend or thinking about the things you are grateful for in your life can be beneficial. Activities like this can help us put things into perspective as we develop a stronger feeling of belonging and let go of the fear of “missing out” on anything.
