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Fear of Missing Out in Academic Workers: A Theoretical Framework
Mattia Bozzetti1, Alessio Lo Cascio2, Daniele Napolitano3
1Direction of Health Professions, ASST Cremona, Cremona, Italy.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|July 14, 2026
Summary
This study introduces academic fear of missing out (academic FoMO), a dynamic phenomenon in competitive academia. It explores its causes and consequences for researchers, particularly early-career ones, to foster healthier academic environments.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Health Professions Education
Background:
- Competitive academic environments foster unique stressors.
- Early-career researchers face significant visibility pressure and potential exclusion.
- Existing theories may not fully capture the nuances of academic-specific anxieties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a middle-range theory of academic fear of missing out (academic FoMO).
- To define academic FoMO as a situational and dynamic phenomenon.
- To identify antecedents, attributes, and consequences of academic FoMO.
Main Methods:
- Drawing on self-determination theory.
- Defining academic FoMO based on visibility pressure, motivational frustration, and perceived professional exclusion.
- Identifying key constructs: overengagement, digital hypervigilance, and performance-driven relational anxiety.
Main Results:
- Academic FoMO is conceptualized as a response to specific academic pressures.
- The theory outlines psychological and behavioral consequences.
- Early-career and vulnerable researchers are identified as particularly affected populations.
Conclusions:
- The proposed theory of academic FoMO provides a framework for understanding researcher stress.
- It highlights the need for interventions to promote healthier academic cultures.
- The theory is applicable to nursing and health professions.
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