FOMO can show up as social anxiety, and research has shown a connection between FOMO and a poor mood and dissatisfaction with life. "It is clear from the literature that this phenomenon has psychological and physiological consequences on those who experience them," read a press release from the university.
The study found that FOMO was connected to dissatisfaction with life, negative symptoms and lower self-esteem, as well as an increase in sleeping issues, a lack of energy and a tendency to get upset.
Over 80% of single students use dating apps, with about 25% of secular students entering an app over five times a day and 15% of religious students doing the same.Some 500 singles took part in the study, including students from the religious and secular population in Israel, which examined the use of the popular dating apps Tinder, OKCupid and Bumblebee, among others.
After a date, some 60% of secular female students stated that they felt they had missed a better opportunity compared to 55% religious female students, while 45% of religious males felt they had missed out on a better opportunity, compared to 44% of secular males.
The abundance of options and offerings in dating apps is a difficulty, as are the patterns of depression among religious women compared to the other surveyed groups, according to the survey, which stated that religious women are "definitely a population at risk to consider."
The survey also found that secular students tended to suffer more from FOMO than religious students.
The researchers recommended developing programs to support and provide information in academic settings about dating apps in order to provide tools to deal with FOMO and to encourage more intelligent use of such applications.