Hearing 'Someone made $200,000 in stocks' equals 4 weeks of pain: Psychiatrist diagnoses 'FOMO brain'

Hearing about others' stock market triumphs can inflict psychological pain as intense as physical injury, according to a South Korean psychiatrist. Dr. Park Jong-seok, a mental health specialist, observed a significant rise in patients seeking help for stock-related stress, including addiction, losses, and depression.

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When you hear 'Someone made 200 million won on SK Hynix,' the pain is transmitted to the brain in a similar way to being stabbed or burned. The intensity has been proven to be at the level of '4 weeks of recovery.'

Dr. Park explained that witnessing others profit from investments can trigger a strong psychological shock, activating brain regions associated with "social pain." He cited research suggesting that hearing about someone making $200,000 from stocks like SK Hynix can cause brain pain similar to being stabbed or burned, comparable to a "4-week recovery" injury.

This reaction, he clarified, stems from an innate human instinct to feel "social pain" rather than mere jealousy or low self-esteem. The brain's social pain circuits become active, leading to distress. Dr. Park also cautioned against impulsive trading, or "water-down" strategies, driven by greed and FOMO, emphasizing that such actions often stem from a lack of expertise and an inability to wait for short-term gains.

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There is a separate brain area that feels pain when others do well. This is not because of jealousy or low self-esteem, but a human instinct to feel 'social pain.'

Recounting his own experience, Dr. Park shared a story of losing over $320,000 due to reckless investments in political theme stocks and pharmaceutical companies, which led to severe depression. He warned that succumbing to envy and anxiety over others' financial successes can stimulate the amygdala, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and causing insomnia and indigestion.

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If you are not a stock expert, you are trading impulsively, driven by desire.

He urged individuals struggling with stock market volatility to deeply consider their suitability for investing and their capacity to remain detached from their invested capital for extended periods. This self-reflection is crucial before engaging in the volatile world of stock trading.

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Many people are suffering due to stock market volatility. You need to think deeply about whether you are a suitable person for investment, whether you are someone who can not look at the money you invested for a year.