Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Mental Health, and Psychological Well-Being: Scoping Review with ☸️SAIMSARA

Name: SAIMSARA Evidence Object mental::FOMO_SS
Creator: SAIMSARA
License: https://saimsara.com/license/

SAIMSARA

doi:10.62487/saimsaraab2dbdf3

SAIMSARA Journal

Machine-Readable Science • ISSN 3054-3991

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Mental Health, and Psychological Well-Being: Scoping Review with ☸️SAIMSARA

Mental & Neurological Health

Issue 4, Volume 1, 2026

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DOI: 10.62487/saimsaraab2dbdf3

Editorial note

• Last update: 2026-06-19 20:48:06

What is this paper about

Fear of missing out is more than a social-media habit—it emerges as a cross-domain psychological mechanism linked to poorer mental health, disrupted sleep, problematic digital use, impulsive buying, investment behavior, and workplace strain. Built from 351 references, 722 original studies, and 313,672 topic-deduplicated observations, the full review reveals where FoMO matters most, how it operates, and which interventions may help.

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Abstract: To scope and synthesize original research on fear of missing out in relation to its predictors, mechanisms, behavioral outcomes, well-being correlates, intervention evidence, measurement work, and real-world implications across digital, clinical, occupational, educational, consumer, financial, and social contexts. The review uses 351 references and builds its evidence map from 722 original studies with 313672 total participants/sample observations (topic-deduplicated ΣN). This scoping review indicates that fear of missing out operates as a recurrent transcontextual psychological mechanism linking unmet belonging, social comparison, and weak self-regulation to problematic digital engagement and downstream impairment across many populations and platforms. The most consistent signals associate higher FoMO with problematic smartphone and social media use, poorer psychological well-being, and disrupted sleep, while FoMO frequently functions as a mediator rather than an isolated trait. FoMO also extended beyond digital domains into consumer, financial, and workplace behaviors, suggesting broad practical relevance as a brief risk marker rather than a standalone diagnosis. Early experimental work hints that cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and social-media reduction may lower FoMO, though samples are small and effects vary. Given the predominance of cross-sectional, self-reported evidence, future longitudinal and objectively measured studies are needed to clarify causal direction and intervention durability.

Keywords: Fear of missing out; Social media use; Problematic social media; Social comparison; Social media fatigue; Phubbing; Self-esteem; Loneliness; Consumer behavior; Investment decisions

Review Stats

Final search date and database lock: 2026-06-04 22:52:10 CEST
Plan: Pro (expanded craft tokens; source: Semantic Scholar)
Source: Semantic Scholar
Total Abstracts/Papers: 3034
Downloaded Abstracts/Papers: 1000
Included original and non-original Abstracts/Papers (all): 876
Included original Abstracts/Papers (Vote counting by direction of effect): 722
Reference Index (links used in paper): 351
Total participants/sample observations (topic deduplicated ΣN): 313672

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Reference Index (351)

[1] Fear of missing out (FoMO) among social media users: a systematic literature review, synthesis and framework for future research — https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-11-2019-0455
[2] Dark consequences of social media-induced fear of missing out (FoMO): Social media stalking, comparisons, and fatigue — https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120931
[3] Individual differences in Fear of Missing Out (FoMO): Age, gender, and the Big Five personality trait domains, facets, and items — https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110546
[4] Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): The Effects of the Need to Belong, Perceived Centrality, and Fear of Social Exclusion — https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4824256
[5] Herding and loss aversion in stock markets: mediating role of fear of missing out (FOMO) in retail investors — https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoem-08-2020-0933
[6] Social media induced fear of missing out (FoMO) and phubbing: Behavioural, relational and psychological outcomes — https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121149
[7] Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) in Consumer Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review on Antecedents, Consequences, and Moderating Factors — https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i36s.6542
[8] Fear of missing out (FoMO): A generational phenomenon or an individual difference? — https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520945394

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