According to cognitive psychology, why is the fear of missing out (FOMO) considered a cognitive bias?

• A. Because FOMO only affects people with certain personality disorders.
• B. Because FOMO is a purely emotional response with no connection to thought processes.
• C. Because FOMO involves systematic errors in thinking that lead individuals to overestimate the value of experiences they are not having.
• D. Because FOMO is caused by external social pressures rather than internal mental processes.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of cognitive bias. Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, meaning they are errors in thinking that affect decisions and judgments.
2. Step 2: Recognize that FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is related to how individuals perceive and evaluate their experiences compared to others, which involves cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and evaluation.
3. Step 3: Identify that FOMO leads to systematic errors in thinking by causing individuals to overestimate the value or importance of experiences they are not currently having, which is a distortion in their cognitive evaluation.
4. Step 4: Differentiate between emotional responses and cognitive biases. While FOMO has emotional components, it is considered a cognitive bias because it involves faulty thought patterns, not just feelings.
5. Step 5: Conclude that FOMO is classified as a cognitive bias because it reflects a consistent and predictable error in thinking, specifically the overvaluation of missed experiences, rather than being solely caused by personality disorders or external pressures.