This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 1082, getting over your fear of missing out by near-a-all

and Stuart Lumin with nearandfar.com, and I'm Justin Mollick, your personal narrator,

reading blogs seamlessly but sometimes books, anything that I think will help you optimize your life.

Today's post being from near-a-all with the co-author. For now, let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

Getting over your fear of missing out by near-a-all and Stuart Lumin with nearandfar.com

I wish I could be like the cool kids, because the catchy hook from the hit song by Echo Smith.

The official video has been viewed over 15 million times on YouTube,

perhaps tapping into something deeper than mere adolescent inks.

We all want to be like the cool kids. In 2013, the word FOMO was added to the Oxford

English dictionary. The fear of missing out refers to the feeling of anxiety that an exciting

or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere. Although the terminology has only recently

been added to our lexicon, experiencing FOMO is nothing new. Most people at one time or another

have been preoccupied by the idea that someone somewhere is having a better time,

making more money, or leading a more exciting life. For those who skew towards such feelings,

smartphones and social media have made it easier than ever to track what others are doing.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting to keep tabs on people we care about.

An important part of what makes this human is our need to be social.

But recently, companies have found ways to tap into this impulse to keep users coming back

to their apps and websites habitually. Whether social media induces FOMO or simply makes it easier

to indulge in our feelings is up for debate. It's not surprising that something as new and

transformative as this technology would have complex implications on our daily lives, both positive

and negative. According to a 2014 study in the journal Behavioral Addictions,

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