Fear of Missing Out Scale

Participant Instructions

Below is a collection of statements about your everyday experience. Using the scale provided please indicate how true each statement is of your general experiences. Please answer according to what really reflects your experiences rather than what you think your experiences should be. Please treat each item separately from every other item.

Response Anchors
Not at all true of me | 1
Slightly true of me | 2
Moderately true of me | 3
Very true of me | 4
Extremely true of me | 5

Items

  1. I fear others have more rewarding experiences than
  2. I fear my friends have more rewarding experiences than
  3. I get worried when I find out my friends are having fun without
  4. I get anxious when I don’t know what my friends are up
  5. It is important that I understand my friends “in jokes.”
  6. Sometimes, I wonder if I spend too much time keeping up with what is going
  7. It bothers me when I miss an opportunity to meet up with friends.
  8. When I have a good time it is important for me to share the details online (e.g. updating status).
  9. When I miss out on a planned get-together it bothers
  10. When I go on vacation, I continue to keep tabs on what my friends are

Calculating Individual Scores

Individual scores can be computed by averaging responses to all ten items and forms a reliable composite measure (α = .87 to .90).

How to Cite

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, 1814-1848.

Notes on Use

  • Where and when possible, randomize the presentation order of these
  • I am interested to hear about how the work is being
  • This scale is provided free for personal and academic
  • If you want to use this measure in a commercial or for profit organization let me know and we can work out licensing.
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