The Joy of Missing Out: Forget FOMO, It’s Time For JOMO
The Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO, only recently made it into the Oxford Dictionary. For years, the English language didn’t have a word for that feeling of anxiety, regret and fear that comes with hearing about a social event and needing to be there in case you miss something. Or the impulsion of taking unnecessary risks just in case there is a huge payoff that you won’t be a part of. Or bemoaning your first commitment because the second invitation might just be better. Even the sunk cost fallacy is a type of FOMO.
The spectrum of FOMO ranges from mild symptoms of regret of not saying ‘yes’ to an invitation to more extreme symptoms of having to say yes to every party and every social event that pops up, even when it is breaking you down. The Fear of Missing Out is a relatively new phenomenon but it is already being replaced by a trendier and healthier version of itself: The Joy of Missing Out.
The Joy of Missing Out, or JOMO, is FOMO’s cooler cousin. When it sees that party of a friend of a friend, it doesn’t jump at the opportunity. Instead, it politely declines and revels in not being there. JOMO doesn’t decline every social opportunity, but it knows when to say yes and when to say no. JOMO is living an intentional life; committing to the few, important things rather than trying to jump on everything that crops up in the…
