(Fear of missing out): what it is, symptoms, causes and how to avoid

Fomo is the fear of not knowing what other people are doing, leading to feelings of anxiety that strongly impact daily life activities, as well as productivity at work. Fomo means “fear of missing out“, which in Portuguese means something like” fear of being out. “

People who have the one, therefore, end up having a constant need to update themselves on social networks, as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Youtubeeven at night, at work, at meals or driving, which can sometimes pose a danger to security.

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All these behaviors are the result of the anguish caused by the insecurity of living offline And they can generate anxiety, stress, bad mood, discomfort or even depression.

Main symptoms

Some of the characteristic symptoms of people with fomo are:

• Dedicate a lot of time to social networks, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or Twitterconstantly updating the feed of news;
• Accept proposals for all parties and events for fear of losing something or feeling excluded;
• Use smartphone all the time, even during meals, during work or driving;
• Do not live the moment and worry about photographs to put on social networks;
• Be constantly waiting for the emergence of new notifications on the mobile phone;
• Being often in a bad mood, with easy irritability and prefer to be alone.

In some cases, Fomo may also result in cases of anxiety and even depression. Find out your anxiety level through our online test.

What to do to avoid the fomo

Some strategies that can be adopted to avoid the fomo are:

• Live the moments instead of publishing them on social networks;
• Prioritize people around;
• Reduce the use of smartphones, tabletscomputers or any other internet device;
• Internalize that people who post content on the internet do not have perfect lives and choose the best times to share.
• Occupy free time with other activities such as reading, watching movies, playing board games or walking the pet.

If necessary, and if the person is suffering from anxiety or severe miscarriage because of the fomo, it is advisable to consult a psychologist.

Possible causes

Fomo seems to be more common in cases of social isolation, such as what happens during Covid-19 pandemic, or when the person has a disease that does not allow home to leave, or when they need to perform a major surgery in which longer recovery time is needed.

In these situations, as there is no direct social contact, the person is afraid of losing what their co -workers, or school, are doing, which generates constant anxiety to check social networks.

Fomo is more common between 16 and 36 years old, which is the period of ages when social networks are most used.

Medical Review:
Dr. Gonzalo Ramirez
Psychologist and General Psychologist

UPAEP General Practice with Professional Card No. 12420918 and Degree in Clinical Psychology from UDLAP No. 10101998.