Research Reveals FOMO Is Driven by Automatic, Intuitive Emotional Responses

A new study investigating the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) phenomenon suggests that the experience is primarily rooted in automatic, fast, and effortless emotional processing rather than complex, cognitive reflection.

Researchers conducted an exploratory study involving 200 participants to determine whether FOMO is an automatic state—one that occurs without substantial cognitive effort—or a reflective state requiring slower, deliberate thought. The study employed a controlled experimental design, where participants were exposed to either a short story designed to elicit FOMO or a similar scenario that did not. By measuring participants’ affective states using the Questionnaire of Automaticity and Reflectiveness in Emotions (QARE), alongside general mood assessments, the team sought to map the genesis of FOMO’s emotional impact.

The findings strongly indicated that eliciting FOMO significantly altered participants’ internal states. Specifically, the FOMO condition led to a significant increase in bodily activation and temporal dynamics, suggesting a physiological and immediate emotional response. Furthermore, the general mood of participants significantly decreased following the manipulation, with the most pronounced negative shift observed exclusively in the FOMO condition, confirming that the stressful feeling of FOMO was successfully elicited.

Using the Mann–Whitney U test, the researchers compared the scores on the six subscales of the QARE between the two conditions. They found that automatic bodily activation scores were significantly higher in the FOMO condition compared to the no-FOMO condition (M = 3.76, SD = 1.39 vs M = 2.99, SD = 1.47; U = 3505.50, p < .001). Similarly, temporal dynamics—which refer to automatic, unpredictable, and changeable emotions—were significantly higher in the FOMO group (M = 4.35, SD = 1.17) compared to the no-FOMO group (M = 3.79, SD = 1.26; U = 3686, p = .001). These results align with the definition of automatic emotions, which are characterized as hard to control, diffusive, and intense.

The researchers concluded that these results suggest FOMO is closely tied to intuitive, automatic functioning, rather than being a reflective, difficult, or complex emotion. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the FOMO experience appears to trigger the most primary and automatic bodily reactions possible. While the study suggests that the initial reaction to feeling left out is automatic and fast, it does not dismiss the complexity of the syndrome entirely. Correlation analyses revealed significant relationships between most of the QARE subscales—both those defining automatic and reflective attributes—and the overall intensity of FOMO.

The study also highlighted a nuanced, non-monolithic nature of the FOMO syndrome. While the dominant characteristics of FOMO are clearly automatic, the correlation analyses demonstrated significant relationships with reflective factors, such as reflective processes and knowledge about the source and object. This indicates that while the initial affective experience may be automatic, the overall syndrome of FOMO involves a complex interplay of both automatic and reflective emotional attributes. One noted negative correlation suggested that greater trait intensity of FOMO was linked to a lower tendency toward reflective controllability, although this specific finding was not statistically significant.

The study, which was an exploratory investigation, aimed to expand knowledge regarding the affective nature of FOMO and its genesis. The authors noted that the situational activation of FOMO generates affect dominated by automatic attributes. However, they cautioned that the genesis of affect appears more complex than initially expected, as factors indicating reflectivity are also present. They proposed that future research should systematically differentiate the genesis of FOMO depending on whether the activated affect is situational (like in their experiment) or derived from a permanent trait (measured by a FOMO scale).

The researchers acknowledged several limitations to their study. The use of a laboratory setting and short stories to elicit FOMO meant that the elicited affect might not perfectly mirror natural, everyday experiences. Furthermore, the text-based stimulus engages complex decoding processes, which could potentially limit the effectiveness of the priming or intensify the reflectiveness of the elicited affect. The sample itself was a convenience sample recruited via social media, resulting in a relatively young demographic. While this sample was fitting for studying FOMO due to their high exposure to social media, the authors stressed the need for future replication using more representative and diverse samples across different circumstances, including offline and online environments.

Looking ahead, the authors suggested that future studies should investigate the dynamics of the emotions elicited by FOMO. For instance, they propose investigating how the basic automatic reaction—the fear accompanied by high bodily arousal—might be processed and eventually produce reflective feelings, such as disappointment or regret. Understanding this progression could be instrumental in developing effective interventions and tailored emotion regulation strategies for coping with the automatic and reflective consequences of FOMO.

The current study was designed as an exploratory investigation into the affective nature of the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) syndrome, specifically aiming to determine the genesis of affect—whether it arises from automatic, effortless processing or from slower, effortful, reflective cognition. The researchers utilized a controlled experimental design involving 200 participants, who were exposed to either a short story specifically engineered to elicit FOMO or a similar scenario that did not. To measure the participants’ affective states, the Questionnaire of Automaticity and Reflectiveness in Emotions (QARE) was employed, alongside assessments of their current general mood. This methodology allowed the team to map the emotional impact of FOMO by comparing these states across the two experimental conditions.

The results demonstrated that the manipulation successfully elicited FOMO, as evidenced by a significant increase in the FOMO condition compared to the non-FOMO condition (M = 2.99, SD = 0.82 vs M = 2.76, SD = 0.76; t(198) = 2.05, p = .04, d = 0.29). Furthermore, the general mood of participants showed a significant main effect of the measurement, decreasing from before the manipulation (M = 3.82, SD = 0.84) to after the manipulation (M = 3.60, SD = 0.99; t(199) = 3.70, p < .001, d = 0.26). A significant interaction effect between the measurements and experimental conditions was also found (F(1, 198) = 6.26, p = .02, η2 = 0.03). Specifically, the comparison between the measurement before (M = 3.88, SD = 0.86) and after (M = 3.52, SD = 1.00) in the FOMO condition was significant (t(101) = 4.06, p < .001, d = 0.40), confirming that the unpleasant, stressful feeling of FOMO was successfully elicited in participants.

When examining the specific dimensions of automaticity and reflectiveness using the Mann–Whitney U test, the study found that the FOMO condition led to significantly higher scores in automatic bodily activation (M = 3.76, SD = 1.39 vs M = 2.99, SD = 1.47; U = 3505.50, p < .001) and temporal dynamics (M = 4.35, SD = 1.17 vs M = 3.79, SD = 1.26; U = 3686, p = .001). These findings align with the characteristics of automatic emotions, which are defined as being hard to control, diffusive, and intense. Conversely, no significant differences were found for reflective controllability, automatic arousal, reflective processing, or knowledge about the source and object between the two conditions, suggesting that the initial reaction to FOMO is not primarily a complex, cognitive process.

Despite the strong evidence pointing toward automaticity, the researchers noted that the FOMO syndrome is not entirely monolithic. Correlation analyses revealed significant relationships between most subscales of the QARE questionnaire and the intensity of FOMO. While the positive correlations with factors defining the automatic nature of affect (such as bodily activation and temporal dynamics) were consistent with the experimental findings, significant relationships were also observed with reflective factors, including reflective processes and knowledge about the source and object. This suggests that while the situational activation of FOMO generates affect dominated by automatic attributes, the overall syndrome involves a complex interplay of both automatic and reflective emotional attributes.

The authors highlighted that the diversity and complexity of the FOMO affect warrant further investigation into how the genesis of affect operates. They proposed that future research should systematically differentiate the genesis of FOMO depending on whether the activated affect is situational, as in the current study, or derived from a relatively permanent feature measured by a trait-based FOMO scale. Furthermore, the study suggests that understanding the progression of emotions could be beneficial; for instance, investigating how the basic automatic reaction—the fear accompanied by high bodily arousal—might be processed and eventually produce reflective feelings, such as disappointment or regret. This could be instrumental in developing effective interventions and tailored emotion regulation strategies for coping with the automatic and reflective consequences of FOMO.

The study also addressed the limitations inherent in the research design. The use of a laboratory setting and short stories to elicit FOMO means that the elicited affect may not perfectly mirror natural, everyday experiences. Moreover, the text-based stimulus engages complex decoding processes, which could potentially limit the effectiveness of the priming or intensify the reflectiveness of the elicited affect. The sample itself was a convenience sample recruited via social media, resulting in a relatively young demographic. While this sample was fitting for studying FOMO due to their high exposure to social media, the authors stressed the need for future replication using more representative and diverse samples across different circumstances, including offline and online environments.

Given that FOMO is an increasingly common experience, especially among younger people, its association with behavioral addictions, compulsive and problematic social media use, and smartphone use is a manifestation of the alarming increase in mental health disorders among young people. Expanding knowledge about the origin of the affect experienced as FOMO could increase the chances of both effective prevention and prophylaxis. The obtained results justify the search in the area of emotion regulation strategies, as understanding the automatic versus reflective nature of FOMO is vital to selecting strategies and actions tailored to its specific manifestations.

Subject of Research: The study investigates whether the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is driven by automatic, effortless emotional processes or reflective, cognitive effort.

Article Title: Automaticity or reflexivity – what determines the affective origin of FOMO?

Article References: Wielgopolan, A., & Szuster, A. (2026). Automaticity or reflexivity – what determines the affective origin of FOMO?. Current Psychology, 45(21), Article 1663. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-026-10233-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s12144-026-10233-2

Keywords: FOMO, Automaticity, Affective Science, Emotional Regulation, Cognition, Psychology, Social Media, Emotional Processing, reflexivity, determines, affective, origin