The Relationship Between 'Fear of Missing Out,' Ruminative Thinking, Campus Involvement, and Life Satisfaction

During my two years completing my general education courses at Mt. San Antonio Community College, I enrolled in classes for Statistical Analysis, Research Analysis, and Psychological Research, which ignited a passion in me for academic research. This research study, conducted in collaboration with my wonderful classmates Justine Dao and Justine Constantino in the Spring of 2023, delves into the social phenomenon of 'Fear of Missing Out' (FoMO) among our community college students. The expression ‘FoMO’ refers to the anxiety experienced when one feels excluded from rewarding experiences others are going through. Our investigation examined its impact on campus involvement, life satisfaction, and rumination, adhering to the traditional research format comprising an Overview, Current Study, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Throughout this process, we gained proficiency in conducting statistical analysis using SPSS software. I hope you discover these findings to be as enjoyable and enlightening as I did!

Psychology is one of my favorite subjects, and presenting my studies at research conferences showed me how much I truly love being part of the academic research community. It’s still surreal to me that through my first research study I was able to discuss our findings at distinguished audiences at Irvine Community College Honors Conference, Western Psychological Association Convention, and even the Bay Honors Consortium at Stanford University! I couldn’t have reached this milestone without the support of Professor Kolchakian and Professor Norvell, so a special shoutout to them :)

Abstract

“Fear of Missing Out” or FoMO, is defined by Deniz (2021) as a feeling of anxiety that one experiences when excluded or absent from fundamentally rewarding experiences others go through. The current study examines the impact FoMO has on student campus involvement, life satisfaction, and rumination. The researchers hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between FoMO and ruminative thought style processes along with campus involvement, but a negative correlation between FoMO and life satisfaction. To test the researchers’ hypotheses, a total of 86 participants (28 men, 56 women, and 2 non-binary) who were enrolled in at least one psychology course at Mount San Antonio College were asked to complete a three-part survey that asked questions regarding their lifestyles, mindsets, and routines. Through a 7-item Likert scale, they rated their agreement with the provided statements on each topic. Results indicated a strong, positive correlation between FoMO and ruminative thought style processes and campus involvement, but found no correlation between FoMO and life satisfaction. This finding implies that FoMO does not have a significant effect on life satisfaction due to the different interpretations of what a satisfied life entails. In comparison, the significance of FoMO on ruminative thoughts and campus involvement is tied to how FoMO promotes a sense of vulnerability among participants, which makes them susceptible to negative emotions such as anxiety and loneliness. Therefore, it is important to point out that engaging in productive and social activities tends to be the best measure to combat FoMO since it distracts the tendency to idolize the lives of others. Future researchers are suggested to conduct longitudinal studies to analyze the impact of FoMO on individuals over time.

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