FOMO syndrome and related problems (7 photos)

Constantly keeping abreast of events in the world in general and friends, relatives, colleagues and acquaintances - is that bad? Practice shows that everything is good in moderation. And the desire to embrace the immensity has given rise to a new psychological addiction - FOMO syndrome.





The term (fear of missing out, that is, fear of missing something) was coined by Patrick McGinnis in 2004. In our country, the condition is better known as the syndrome of lost profits or missed opportunities.



The cause of the irritating condition was progress. More precisely, its results in the form of social networks, whose users demonstrate successful success with all that it entails - travel, sports, parties, hobbies and so on.

Looking at a photo of someone’s rich and vibrant life, anyone can think about why this individual user has enough time, energy and means to lead it, but I don’t.





But if one calmly closes the page and goes about his business, the other will ask the question: why exactly am I missing out on all the most interesting things in this life?

Gradually, the desire to be aware of the events in the lives of neighbors and former lovers can develop into a desire to be aware of absolutely all events. And in response to an innocent question: “Do you know?...” about some insignificant event, such as the hundred thousandth video with a cat, a person becomes alarmed, and he rushes to check the news.



Actually, the desire to be informed has accompanied man almost since the birth of civilization. Tribal councils and all sorts of meetings and circles were transformed into print media. And with such a phenomenon as the son or daughter of a mother’s friend, for whom everything is always better, faster, higher, stronger, if not every first, then certainly the second has encountered.

But it was social networks that became the trigger. Many people do not want to accept the fact that reality on the Internet is significantly embellished. And behind a moment of “happy happiness” there can be hidden an ordinary gray life or many hours of preparation. But FOMO has already entered life firmly and thoroughly and decided to stay. Various surveys demonstrate the presence of certain signs of it among users in an amount from 56 to 75%.

Psychological and physical manifestations of FOMO



A person faced with the syndrome of lost profits begins to suffer morally. But that is not all. Symptoms such as:

Bad mood;

low self-esteem;

feelings of inferiority;

constant desire to gain approval;

boredom, melancholy;

loneliness, conscious self-isolation.

Among the physical manifestations of the syndrome, the most common are muscle tension, tremors, sweating, and increased heart rate.

What to do?



Of course, fight. Psychologists give banal advice - digital detox. It works, but you need to pull yourself together and force yourself to limit the amount of content you consume.

We must learn to listen to our real desires and needs, and not to those imposed by social networks. It would not be superfluous to train decision awareness. You can also try yourself in a new business - take a course that you have been putting off for a long time, take up a new hobby, get a pet.



And, of course, thank yourself for small achievements. Chocolate, a walk, just a word. Stop comparing yourself to others and worrying about their approval or disapproval and fill your thoughts with your own life with all that it entails. Then there will be no time or energy left to analyze someone else’s.

Have you ever encountered the syndrome of lost profits?