Fear of Missing Out Scale
FoMOA 10-item unidimensional scale measuring fear of missing out — the pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.
Ready-to-cite methods sentence
Reliability & validation
Response anchors
Not at all true of me · Slightly true of me · Moderately true of me · Very true of me · Extremely true of me
Known limitations
A trait-level measure developed on Western online samples; associations with social-media use are typically modest and correlational.
Original citation
Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1841-1848.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014Questions researchers ask
What does the FoMO measure?
A 10-item unidimensional scale measuring fear of missing out — the pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.
How many items does the FoMO have?
The Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO) has 10 items.
Is the FoMO free to use?
The FoMO is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.
Is the FoMO reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.87. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the FoMO, and how do I cite it?
Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1841-1848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014
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Library entry verified July 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.