Interplay Between Fear of Missing Out and Loneliness: A Three-Wave Panel Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Although the concept of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is permeated with individual fears about the lack of social connection, the relationship between FoMO and feelings of loneliness has been the subject of limited research. The aim of this study was to examine bidirectional associations between FoMO and loneliness via a three-wave, random intercept, cross-lagged panel model. Drawing on a survey with 494 adult participants across three waves (45.3 percent participated in Time 2 and 38.7 percent participated at Time 3) during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that participants with higher FoMO also reported heightened levels of loneliness across the three waves, at a between-person level. Furthermore, loneliness had significant negative cross-lagged associations with subsequent FoMO, at within-person level. The cross-lagged paths between FoMO and subsequent loneliness were not significant. Participants who usually spend more daily time using social media reported higher levels of FoMO. The findings of the study contribute to clarifying the temporal relationship between FoMO and loneliness, by suggesting that FoMO may not represent a risk factor for heightened feelings of loneliness, but it can be triggered by feelings of social isolation and lack of relationships.