261. Utilitarians have long argued that people do everything they can to increase their overall happiness. Tversky and Kahneman, on the other hand, that people mostly try to minimize potential future regret. This phenomenon is also known as the "FOMO" or the Fear of Missing Out.
We usually think of "fear" as a negative. People do not generally aspire to be "fearful." But if the fear of missing out motivates people to act in their own self-interest, it could serve a positive purpose.
Can you think of a scenario in which the Fear of Missing Out might actually decrease someone's overall happiness? Have you ever had personal experience with this phenomenon?
The fear of missing out is something that might decrease our overall happiness in every scenario. We can never be truly happy with the present if we are constantly worried about what could have been. If you receive an invitation to a party and decide not to go, but you spend your evening thinking it would have been more enjoyable at said party you are robbing yourself of a peaceful evening. The best way to save yourself from the regret of the choices you didn’t make is to live a life of no regret. Amos Tversky had a mindset where he never thought of what would have been different if he had made different decisions. He lived in the present and did not entertain the thought of “what could have been.”
ReplyDeleteRachel Wallis
I entirely agree. If we live a life full of regret or questioning, then we have wasted our own time. One of my favorite quotes is "Do not stress about situations that are out of your control." I try and apply this to my everyday life, but sometimes I find myself wondering what would have changed if I had made a different choice. This is a topic that many people struggle with, including me, but I remind myself that everything happens for a reason. My life is out of my control.
DeleteDuring this pandemic, I feel like there are many situations where the fear of missing out is making people unhappy. For example, there are people who are forced to miss out on events such as weddings and funerals (if they are allowed in their state to have events) because they either live with a compromised person or are around someone vulnerable to the coronavirus. Although wearing masks help, you cannot always trust others around to follow the rules, so, therefore, it is risky to attend social gatherings even though you looked forward to it. There are also people who morally cannot let themselves have fun because in doing so they are risking getting themselves or others sick.
ReplyDelete-Olivia Watters
I agree! With this pandemic going on, I find myself fearing that I am missing out on so many college experiences that I would've had the chance to do otherwise. Even though I know that I wouldn't be missing out on these things if it wasn't important or if I didn't have a good reason I still find myself being disappointed that I have to miss out on so much during some of the best four years of my life.
DeleteI think people tend to get addicted to the fear of missing out. We put off sleeping, eating, and time with our families just to go to an event that honestly isn't worth the time or the mental health. If we don't eat, sleep, or are around the right people, our mental health declines ridiculously fast.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. There have been so many circumstances where I was planning on attending an event that I knew that I would not enjoy. A lot of times, I would even sacrifice something important to me, such as catching up on studying and finishing a book. All because I wanted to be in the picture! Of course, this is something that I try to be mindful of, but it is hard because.. FOMO
ReplyDeleteI think the fear of missing out is something a lot of people go through every day. I can personally think of times when the fear of missing out when presented with multiple decisions almost made me not want to do either instead of being disappointed by choosing one over the other. I personally would still choose for fear of regretting not going to either, however, it makes seemingly easy decisions more difficult. I try to actively enjoy every decision I make and try to not think about what I could have missed out on if I chose to do something else because I do not want to live in a constant state of regret.
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