Fear of missing out mediated the relationship between social appearance anxiety and phubbing in Turkish adults

Abstract

The existing body of research lacks investigations into the potential links between fear of missing out (FOMO), social appearance anxiety, and phubbing. For the first time, this study examined the mediating role of FOMO in the relationship between phubbing and social appearance anxiety. Participants included 341 Turkish adults (Mage = 28.25, SD = 8.02) and completed the measures of FOMO, social appearance anxiety, and phubbing. Results showed that social appearance anxiety was positively related to FOMO and phubbing. Also, FOMO was positively associated with phubbing. The results of the mediation analysis indicated that FOMO partially mediated the association of social appearance anxiety with phubbing. These results suggest that social appearance anxiety exacerbates the FOMO, which in turn leads to an increased level of phubbing. These findings have significant implications for both research and practice.