Do you suffer from FOMO?
You know, that thing that makes you go out until 3am on a Wednesday when you have a midterm on Thursday.
FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out, is real.
We all get it.
The constant mental tug of war between studying and going out on a Wednesday night is a never ending struggle. Knowing your friends are out having a good time while you’re stuck at the Sci Li eats at you.
You feel left out, thinking of all the memories they’ll create without you.
The Tab went around campus to get a sense of how FOMO has affected Brown students and how they dealt with it.
Cameron & Henry, 2019
Getting work done is key to fighting FOMO
Do you ever get FOMO?
Cameron: Yes
Henry: Yes, actually all the time
Are you suffering from it right now?
Cameron: No, but I might tonight if my friends are hanging out, I’m going to get an early night.
Henry: I will be suffering from it in about an hour in a half because some people from my unit are going to do yoga and that’s a lot of fun, and if I don’t get this work finished I don’t get to do yoga.
What gives you FOMO?
Cameron: I guess mainly the fact that if my friends all go out, and I can’t because I have other obligations, they’re gonna have a lot of fun and they’re going to forget about you.
Henry: Same, the fear of missing events that’ll put you at a disadvantage in your social sphere.
Have you ever given in to FOMO when you shouldn’t have?
Cameron: There was a Thursday night when I went to a BRIO party and I had engineering homework due the next day, so I had to get up really over and do it hungover.
Henry: Not really, I don’t usually go out during the week. I did get a bad case of FOMO when I was going out of town early Saturday, so I saw my friends for 10 minutes on Friday before going to bed and felt like I was missing out.
JJ, 2019
Do you get FOMO?
Yes, most of the time.
Do you have FOMO right now?
Yes, because I could be having fun but I’m here studying for midterms.
What are you currently missing out on?
I’m currently missing out on a bunch of TV shows.
What gives you FOMO?
I’m afraid something will happen, and later when I meet up with my friends I’ll be left out because I wasn’t there.
Have you ever given in to FOMO when you shouldn’t have?
Yeah, I went out instead of studying for a test the next day, and I ended upon having that much fun and fucking up on the quiz.
How do you avoid FOMO?
I avoid FOMO by listening to music and keeping in touch with my friends through Messenger, which helps a lot.
Kristina and Misha, 2019
Do you get FOMO?
Kristina: Yes
Misha: Yes, pretty darn often.
Are you suffering from FOMO right now?
Kristina: Not really.
Misha: No, because I’m doing my work. I get more FOMO on the week-ends.
What gives you FOMO?
Kristina: I guess the idea of my friends having a good time without me and forgetting me.
Misha: Well I’m a very work-focused person, so I would choose to do work instead of going out, so that causes some severe FOMO if my friends are out having fun, and maybe there’s a really great party that I miss out on, and then they’ll talk about it and you feel left out.
Have you ever given in to FOMO when you shouldn‘t have?
Kristina: I’ve never done that. I’m a very disciplined person when it comes to work.
Misha: When I had a concussion and went out anyway because of FOMO. It definitely made it worse the next day.
How do you avoid FOMO?
Kristina : I feel confident that my friends will always be there for me even though I’m not always there with them.
Misha: I prioritize well, and think about the acronym FOMO which makes it sound ridiculous. You just need to get your shit together.
To all of you out there suffering from FOMO, just be confident that your real friends will never forget you, and that you will have a lot more fun if you get your shit done first.