The joy of missing out 錯失的喜悅

如今，許多人都恐懼錯失 “fear of missing out (FOMO)”，擔心不能及時、完美地完成所有事情。但也有人正在嘗試扭轉這種觀念帶來的生活壓力，接受錯失的喜悅 “joy of missing out (JOMO)”。比起花費時間不斷比較自己和他人的生活，為何不專註於我們真正喜愛的事物和親近的人，避免讓花花世界幹擾我們享受生活呢？

詞匯：JOMO 錯失的喜悅

1 “They’re all at that party without me… I’ve got such bad FOMO.” The fear of missing out, or ‘FOMO’, is what you might feel when you aren’t present when something exciting or enjoyable is happening. This anxiety is rife in the age of social media, where we’re exposed to an avalanche of updates about other people’s holidays, social events and achievements. Many find themselves comparing their lives to others’, forgetting that social media is often a smokescreen, where we only see the highlight reel and a veneer of perfection.

2 As an antidote to this constant pressure, many are embracing ‘JOMO’ – the joy of missing out. According to Svend Brinkmann, author of ‘The Joy of Missing Out: The Art of Self-Restraint in an Age of Excess’, the difference is that where FOMO gets us to worry about things outside of the present moment, JOMO brings us back to the here and now, encouraging us to enjoy life offline with people we truly care about. Embracing JOMO means switching off outside noise and focusing on what really brings us happiness. So, how can we stop FOMO from rearing its ugly head?

3 In her book ‘The Joy of Missing Out: Live More by Doing Less’, Tanya Dalton suggests making a list of activities that bring you joy and displaying them somewhere obvious to remind you to include them in your day. She also suggests a regular digital detox and carving out time for self-care, whether that’s a warm bath, a solo nature walk or your favourite movie. Kristen Fuller, a physician and mental health writer, says it’s about being intentional with your time. This involves scheduling activities which are important to you and practising saying “no” to people if you feel like their request will have a negative impact on you.

4 A 2019 article by Ana Jorge, published in Social Media + Society looked into the experiences of people who purposefully disconnect from social media. Some of them felt they were living more mindfully, and that the disconnection allowed them to be more creative and productive. About JOMO, one participant told researchers, “I don’t have to be everywhere, I don’t have to be with everyone and I don’t have to know everything.” Perhaps it’s time to unplug and try living life in the slow lane.

測驗與練習

一、將標題和段落配對。

Paragraph 1 _______
Paragraph 2 _______
Paragraph 3 _______
Paragraph 4 _______

a. The joy of missing out
b. Benefits of FOMO
c. The fear of missing out
d. JOMO experiences
e. How to embrace JOMO

二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。

1. How does the writer portray FOMO in the text?
a. as something positive
b. as something negative
c. as something neither positive nor negative

2. What can be inferred about social media from the article?
a. it always creates stress and anxiety
b. it presents a filtered version of reality
c. it has no impact on mental well-being

3. In the sentence ‘This anxiety is rife in the age of social media…’ in paragraph 1, which word could replace ‘rife’?
a. common
b. scarce
c. large

4. Kristen Fuller believes people should say “no” to all social events.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

5. What can we infer from this quote: “I don’t have to be everywhere, I don’t have to be with everyone and I don’t have to know everything.”
a. This person regrets missing out on social events and feel isolated.
b. This person feels a pressure to stay constantly updated on what’s going on.
c. This person feels a sense of peace and acceptance after disconnecting from social media.

三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。

Many people say that JOMO is 1) _______ to FOMO. JOMO encourages people to focus on 2) _______, rather than what everyone else is doing. To stop FOMO 3) _______, experts recommend a digital detox as part of 4) _______ routine. To live a happy life, we should ignore 5) _______ and focus on what really matters.

rearing its ugly head
the here and now
the smokescreen
the antidote
the outside noise
the avalanche
a self-care

（答案見詞匯表後）

詞匯表

rife 普遍的，猖獗的
avalanche 雪崩，突然湧入的大量事物
smokescreen 煙幕，幌子
highlight reel 精彩集錦
veneer 虛偽的外表
antidote 解藥
the here and now 此時此刻
switch off 不再關註，關掉
outside noise 外部的噪音
rear its ugly head （令人不快的事情）出現或發生
digital detox 電子脫癮，數字排毒，減少對電子產品的依賴
self-care 自我照顧
intentional 有意的，註意的
mindfully 專註地，留心地
unplug 拔掉插頭，關閉電子設備
live life in the slow lane 不慌不忙地享受生活

答案

一、將標題和段落配對。

Paragraph 1 c) The fear of missing out
Paragraph 2 a) The joy of missing out
Paragraph 3 e) How to embrace JOMO
Paragraph 4 d) JOMO experiences

二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。

1. b. as something negative. The writer describes FOMO as an anxiety, as something that needs an antidote, and something that should be stopped from rearing its ugly head.

2. b. it presents a filtered version of reality. Social media is often a smokescreen, where we only see the highlight reel and a veneer of perfection.

3. a. common. Many find themselves comparing their lives to others’

4. b. False. Kristen Fuller believes people should say “no” to social events if you feel like their request will have a negative impact on you.

5. c. This person feels a sense of peace and acceptance after disconnecting from social media.

三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。

Many people say that JOMO is the antidote to FOMO. JOMO encourages people to focus on the here and now rather than what everyone else is doing. To stop FOMO rearing its ugly head, experts recommend a digital detox as part of self-care routine. To live a happy life, we should ignore the outside noise and focus on what really matters.