Linking fear of missing out and psychological well-being: a multi-country study

Purpose This study aims to understand the association between the fear of missing out (FOMO) and its impact on psychological well-being (PWB). The mediating effect of anxiety and moderating effects of social media engagement (SME) and resilience on the association mentioned above are also examined. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mix of attachment theory and cognitive-motivational-relational theory to understand the hypothesized relationship using a diverse sample of international respondents from South Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East. The data from 612 respondents was collected using SurveyMonkey. The authors have used Hayes’ PROCESS Macro to test the hypothesised relationships. Findings The results revealed that anxiety acts as a mediator between FOMO and PWB, while SME and resilience act as moderators in reducing the impact of FOMO on anxiety and the impact of anxiety on PWB, respectively. Originality/value The work extends the existing theorization and points out the merits of using SME and resilience as moderators and anxiety as a mediator for understanding the association between FOMO and PWB.