Scrolling Past You: Fear of Missing Out, Self-Esteem, Neuroticism, and Phubbing Behavior among Indian Young Adults

The present study examined the relationship between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), self-esteem, neuroticism, and phubbing behavior in Indian young adults. A sample of 215 young adults (Mₐₓₐ = 21.65 years; 47.9% male, 52.1% female) drawn through convenience sampling completed an online survey comprising the Generic Scale of Phubbing (Chotpitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018), the FoMO Scale (Przybylski et al., 2013), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), and the NEO-FFI-3 Neuroticism subscale (McCrae et al., 2005). Pearson correlations and stepwise multiple regression were computed using IBM SPSS 26. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between FoMO and phubbing (r = .55, p < .001) and between neuroticism and phubbing (r = .22, p < .001). Self-esteem was not significantly associated with phubbing (r = −.09, p > .05). In the final regression model, FoMO was the sole significant predictor of phubbing, accounting for 30.1% of variance (R² = .30), F(1, 213) = 91.73, p < .001. Findings are discussed in relation to self-determination theory, uses and gratifications theory, and the implications for digital well-being interventions targeting Indian youth.