Fear of Missing Out Scale

Abstract

The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) Scale is a concise, 10-item psychometric instrument designed to quantify an individual’s apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which they are absent. Developed by Przybylski, Murayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell in 2013, this scale captures the pervasive worry associated with missing out on social interactions, novel opportunities, and shared experiences, often exacerbated by modern communication technologies and social networking sites. The FoMO Scale serves as a reliable measure for assessing the motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of FoMO across various populations.

Keywords

Fear of Missing Out, FoMO, Social Media, Psychological Assessment, Psychometrics, Anxiety, Social Connection, Technology Use, Well-being.

Authors

Andrew K. Przybylski, Kou Murayama, Chris R. DeHaan, Valerie Gladwell

Purpose

The primary purpose of the FoMO Scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a robust and standardized tool for measuring individual differences in the tendency toward experiencing the Fear of Missing Out. By operationalizing this construct, the scale allows for consistent measurement across studies, facilitating investigations into the psychological mechanisms linking FoMO to various behavioral outcomes.

Specifically, the scale is useful for examining the relationship between FoMO and problematic technology use (such as excessive smartphone monitoring), mental health indicators (like anxiety and depression), and overall quality of life. The 10 items are designed to capture both the underlying emotional state of worry and the subsequent behavioral drive to maintain social connectivity.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), which is formally defined as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.” FoMO reflects a deep-seated desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing and is characterized by feelings of envy and anxiety when one perceives they are not part of ongoing positive social activities.

The theoretical foundation often links FoMO to the failure to satisfy basic psychological needs—specifically the needs for relatedness and competence. This deficit drives individuals toward compulsive monitoring behaviors, particularly through social media, in an attempt to alleviate the anxiety associated with perceived social exclusion.

Validity

The original validation study established strong evidence for the scale’s construct validity. The FoMO Scale demonstrated significant and theoretically consistent correlations with measures of negative affect (e.g., higher reported anxiety and depressive symptoms) and indicators of poor self-regulation (e.g., problematic smartphone use and reduced attention). Furthermore, the items were developed based on extensive qualitative research to ensure content validity, capturing both the emotional and behavioral dimensions of the FoMO experience.

Reliability

The FoMO Scale exhibits high internal consistency, confirming its reliability as a composite measure. Across the initial validation studies conducted by Przybylski et al. (2013), the reported coefficient Cronbach’s alpha typically ranges from .87 to .90. This consistently high reliability suggests that the ten items function effectively together to measure a single, cohesive underlying construct, making the total or average score a dependable metric for research use.

Factor Analysis

Psychometric analyses, including various forms of Factor analysis (such as confirmatory factor analysis), consistently support a unidimensional structure for the 10 items of the FoMO Scale. This finding is crucial as it confirms that the scale measures a single latent variable—the Fear of Missing Out—thereby justifying the recommended scoring procedure of calculating a single averaged score for interpretation. The unidimensionality simplifies application in both clinical and academic settings.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological questionnaire.

Format: The scale consists of 10 items rated using a 5-point Likert scale anchored by the following responses: 1 = Not at all true of me, 2 = Slightly true of me, 3 = Moderately true of me, 4 = Very true of me, and 5 = Extremely true of me.

Language Available: Originally validated in English, the scale has since been translated and validated in numerous languages globally (e.g., German, Spanish, Chinese, Turkish).

Population Group: General population.

Age Group: Typically used with adolescents and young adults, but applicable to all ages that engage with social and digital media environments.

Population Details: The scale is validated for use across diverse demographic backgrounds, particularly those with access to and use of digital communication technologies.

Test Methodology: Individual scores are computed by averaging the responses to all ten items. This averaging forms a reliable composite measure of the FoMO construct. Higher average scores indicate a greater degree of Fear of Missing Out.

Keywords

Social Anxiety, Digital Communication, Social Exclusion, Self-Regulation, Reliability, Construct validity, Unidimensionality, Przybylski.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in the source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in the source material (contact corresponding author for details).

Correspondence Address: Not specified in the source material (refer to the original publication for correspondence details).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Fear of Missing Out Scale is provided free for personal and academic research use. Researchers are encouraged to randomize the presentation order of the items whenever possible. For commercial or for-profit organizational use, licensing arrangements must be sought directly from the corresponding author.

Test Year: 2013.

Reference’s

Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1814-1848.

Items of the Fear of Missing Out Scale

Participant Instructions: Below is a collection of statements about your everyday experience. Using the scale provided please indicate how true each statement is of your general experiences. Please answer according to what really reflects your experiences rather than what you think your experiences should be. Please treat each item separately from every other item.

Response Anchors:

• Not at all true of me (1)
• Slightly true of me (2)
• Moderately true of me (3)
• Very true of me (4)
• Extremely true of me (5)

Items:

1. I fear others have more rewarding experiences than
2. I fear my friends have more rewarding experiences than
3. I get worried when I find out my friends are having fun without
4. I get anxious when I don’t know what my friends are up
5. It is important that I understand my friends “in jokes.”
6. Sometimes, I wonder if I spend too much time keeping up with what is going
7. It bothers me when I miss an opportunity to meet up with friends.
8. When I have a good time it is important for me to share the details online (e.g. updating status).
9. When I miss out on a planned get-together it bothers
10. When I go on vacation, I continue to keep tabs on what my friends are