a b s t r a c t
Social media utilities have made it easier than ever to know about the range of online or offline social
activities one could be engaging. On the upside, these social resources provide a multitude of opportunities
for interactio n; on the downside, they often broadcast more options than can be pursued , given practical
restrictions and limited time. This dual nature of social media has driven popular interest in the
concept of Fear of Missing Out – popularly referred to as FoMO. Defined as a pervasive apprehension that
others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent, FoMO is characterized by the
desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. The present research presents three
studies conducted to advance an empirically based understanding of the fear of missing out phenomenon.
The first study collected a diverse international sample of participants in order to create a robust
individual differences measure of FoMO, the Fear of Missing Out scale (FoMOs); this study is the first to
operationalize the construct. Study 2 recruited a nationally represe ntative cohort to investigate how
demographic, motivational and well-being factors relate to FoMO. Study 3 examined the behavioral
and emotional correlate s of fear of missing out in a sample of young adults. Implications of the FoMOs
measure and for the future study of FoMO are discussed.