Relative deprivation and phubbing: Fear of missing out as a mediator

Phubbing, defined as paying attention to one’s smartphone instead of interacting with other people in social contexts, has become a common phenomenon. However, the determinants of this behavior remain unclear. Therefore, we explored whether fear of missing out mediates the relationship between relative deprivation and phubbing. A sample of 858 college students completed measures to assess relative deprivation, fear of missing out, and phubbing. The results show that relative deprivation was positively correlated with phubbing. Further, fear of missing out fully mediated the relationship between relative deprivation and phubbing, which indicates that college students who perceived more relative deprivation tended to be more prone to experiencing fear of missing out, and thus more vulnerable to phubbing. Our findings extend understanding of the antecedents of phubbing from the individual microlevel to the psychosocial factor macrolevel.