FoMO: a college epidemic

Alana M. Carroll

Art Director

There’s an unmistakable sense of loss that accompanies watching your friends go out while you remain trapped at work or sick in bed. Jealousy, loneliness and restlessness come together to create a feeling known well by college students worldwide: “FoMO,” a catchy abbreviation for “fear of missing out”. 

A scientific journal published in Computers in Human Behavior in 2013 creates a definition for the emotion, describing it as “pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.” A more recent journal, published in Acta Psychologica in 2025, emphasized social media and social comparison as key contributors to FoMO. 

“Social comparison tendencies may be a dominant contributor to FoMO,” states the article, “and social media addiction, loneliness, and perfectionism may serve as mediators in the link between them.”

A photo of empty seats within Donovan Dining Center by Anchor Staff.

Many profiles on social media highlight the exciting aspects of people’s lives leading to misconceptions about how frequently they should be going out. Similarly, it is common for people to feel abandoned when their friends attend events without them. Not receiving an invitation is often seen as an act of hostility by young adults. A RIC student, who asked to remain anonymous, stated that they experienced FoMO most often when they were not invited to spend time with their friends.

“I think I can get very jealous and protective of my friends because of [FoMO],” they confessed. “Also, I can feel forgotten about when not included.”

“Sometimes it feels like I’m in mourning for the life I could be living if I had the energy to go out and do things without needing so much time to recover after,” shared Trevor Salmans, a sophomore at RIC. His top contributors for FoMO were living off-campus, having chronic fatigue and not driving. 

Transportation is a struggle shared by many students, with not having a vehicle or driving being one of the most frequent triggers for FoMO reported by interviewees.

“Not having transportation to things,” answered Alex Becker, “and my friends all having a fun time when I myself cannot go for a variety of reasons.”

A 2022 research study found that FOMO in college students was associated with increased levels of substance use and higher rates of "academic incivility". Academic incivility includes behaviors like plagiarism, disengagement during class time (i.e. scrolling on social media during lectures) or causing disruptions in the classroom. While participants who reported higher levels of FoMO did not report drinking more frequently, the study discovered an increase in the number of drinks consumed per drinking session.

How should students cope? An article by John M. Grohol, Psy.D has a few suggestions. Among them are limiting the use of social media, engaging in mindful activities, journaling and spending time with loved ones when possible.

“Putting your phone down and spending time with loved ones face-to-face can be a great way to re-center your most important relationships,” the article stated. Disconnecting from social media and spending time with others were reported by interviewees as effective methods of coping with FoMO.

“[I] probably just listen to music or try to have fun on my own,” stated Becker. These activities help to cope with the sense of isolation that comes from FoMO. Keeping occupied was also a strategy shared by other respondents.

“I have learned to have multiple friend groups and activities to keep myself busy,” shared the anonymous student. “Also, if I feel like I am missing out, I will be honest about my feelings in my relationships.”

“I like to remind myself that there’s always next time. I have two more years of college and a whole lot of life ahead of me,“ said Salmans. “I need to take care of myself so I can properly experience things and not just be sad and exhausted through them.”