Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a social anxiety stemming from the belief that others might be having fun while the person experiencing the anxiety is not present. It is characterized by a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing .

FOMO, Age, and Gender

FOMO can be experienced by people of all ages, several studies have found. One study in the Psychiatry Research journal found that the fear of missing out was linked to a greater smartphone and social media usage and that this link was not associated with age or gender.3

The research also found that both social media use and "problematic" smartphone usage was linked with a greater experience of FOMO. Smartphone usages was related to fears of negative and even positive evaluations by others as well as linked to negative effects on mood.