A Study on Psychological Distress due to Fear of Missing Out and Gaslighting among Young Adults

Abstract

We live in a society that is always growing and modernizing, which makes everything competitive among individuals, particularly young adults who are still adjusting to new obligations. These are people between the age group of 18 and 25 years. This competition and the desire to stay on top and always be the best can lead to FOMO (fear of missing out), which can be fueled by social media and distorts reality and fuels inadequacy. Young adults may also feel gaslighted by others, which erodes self-esteem and trust, exacerbating anxiety. Together, these might induce psychological distress, eventually leading to the individual's demise. To measure FOMO, gaslighting and psychological distress standardized scales were used, and data was collected from a total sample of 55 people in the 18-25 age group. The purpose is to study psychological distress due to FOMO and gaslighting among young adults. The results found out that, there is a considerable positive correlation between psychological distress with gaslighting and FOMO and a significant positive correlation between gaslighting and FOMO. There are few measures that can be taken to deal with FOMO, gaslighting and psychological distress that is to limit the usage of social media, practice mindfulness, engage in enjoyable activities and seeking professional help. These can help reduce the felling of isolation, inadequacy, improve self-esteem, trust, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.