Research Hit: FOMO and Information Overload Increases Burnout and Decreases Mental Health
Study shows that both information overload and fear of missing out increase stress, burnout symptoms, and mental health issues
So isn’t FOMO and information overload a contradiction?
Yes, indeed these are kind of opposite: if you have too much information how can you miss out on information. But they could also be mutually influential in that if you have lots of information you are more sensitive to missing out on some information.
So what did these researchers do?
Elizabeth Marsh et al. of the University of Nottingham wanted to investigate the dark side to digital working and collected data from 142 employees. They investigated the demands and resources of the job and how employees were feeling when working mostly digitally.
And what were the results?
The results showed that those who are felt overloaded with information but also had anxiety about missing out were more likely to be suffering from stress and burnout. Simply they had lower mental wellbeing.
This was in digital working though?
Yes, it does note that this is particularly relevant because there are fewer informal means to get information and/or feel comforted by colleagues such as over a chat during a coffee break or in casual conversation. Arguably being digital can also make you feel disconnected and hence more worried and anxious about missing out.
And how to deal with this?
Well there is no quick tip for individuals but they do recommend companies think more carefully through this and that appropriate training has been shown to be effective in helping employees better cope and hence improve productivity and wellbeing.
One simple way is to be more structured with key information rather than adhoc whether that being a team, a department, or as an organisation.
How does this tie into your SCOAP theory of wellbeing
Well, as you know Orientation is one of the needs of SCOAP - and yes, our data shows it is a key factor for wellbeing. But this concept of being overloaded but also anxious of missing out adds a twist to this!
Elizabeth Marsh, Elvira Perez Vallejos, Alexa Spence.
Overloaded by Information or Worried About Missing Out on It: A Quantitative Study of Stress, Burnout, and Mental Health Implications in the Digital Workplace.
Sage Open, 2024; 14 (3)
DOI: 10.1177/21582440241268830