Exploring contributors to FoMO (fear of missing out) among university students: The role of social comparison, social media addiction, loneliness, and perfectionism

A growing number of studies have focused on understanding the phenomenon known as Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and the factors contributing to it. This study examines the potential role of psychological variables that refer to self-evaluation in relation to others, such as social media addiction, social comparison, perfectionism, and loneliness. Hungarian university students (N = 255; 70.6 % females, aged between 18 and 35 years, Mage = 23.61 years; SD = 4.59) completed an online survey during the fall semester of the academic year 2023/2024. Based on correlation, multiple regression and path analysis, we found that social comparison was the strongest predictor of FoMO (beta = 0.43, p < .001). While social media addiction (beta = 0.20, p < .001), loneliness (beta = 0.13, p < .01), and perfectionism (beta = 0.14, p < .05) also contributed directly to FoMO, these variables also served as mediators in the link between social comparison and FoMO. These findings draw attention to the need for social skills training in which students can learn to successfully handle various social situations. In addition, mindfulness-based intervention may help them become more conscious during online activities and they can better understand the role of social comparison in concrete social situations. Developing educational materials for students to inform them about the nature of FoMO and how to manage it would also be useful to improve the users' digital resilience of users.