Profile for Alex Holte

Research and publishing

Current Research

I lead the Virtual Interactions and Behavioral Experiences (VIBE) Lab. The lines of scholarly inquiry include:

1. Understand what causes Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)

2. Identify individual differences in FoMO severity

3. Detect how FoMO impacts individuals

4. Explain how social factors influence the development of problematic social media and problematic smartphone use

If you are a UWL student and interested in getting involved in the research lab, feel free to send me an email at aholte@uwlax.edu and fill out this brief survey.

Published Research

Note: If you'd like access to one or more of my papers and cannot get passed the paywalls, feel free to email me for access to the research.

* Indicates Undergraduate Student Collaborator

Holte, A. J., *Aukerman, K., *Padgett, R., & *Kenna, M. (2024) “Let me check my phone just one more time”: Understanding the relationship of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder severity and Problematic Smartphone Use. Current Psychology, 43(13), 11593-11603                                            https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05298-2                                 

Holte, A. J., *Cooper, J., & *Nixon II, A. (2024). Burden or Refuge? Understanding predictors of Smartphone Burden and Refuge. Current Psychology, 43, 33448-33464https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06869-7 

Holte, A. J., *Nixon II, A., & *Cooper, J. (2024). Attachment anxiety mediates the relationship of Need to Belong and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO). Discover Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00250-2

Holte, A. J. (2024). A Structural Equation Modeling approach to understand the dynamics of smartphone attachment and problematic smartphone use. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science.    https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-024-00420-y                                                                         

Soraci, P., Pisanti, R., Servidio, R., Holte, A. J., Ferrari, A.M., Demetrovics, Z., & Griffiths, M. D. (2024). The associations between problematic social media and smartphone use, social phobia, and self-esteem: A structural equation modeling analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-024-01375-0

Holte, A. J. (2023). The State Fear of Missing Out Inventory: Development and Validation. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 10, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teler.2023.100055

Holte, A. J., & Ferraro, F. R. (2023) True colors: Grayscale setting reduces screen time in college students. The Social Science Journal. 60(2), 274-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2020.1737461

Holte, A., J., *Giesen, D., & Ferraro, F. R. (2023). Color me calm: Grayscale phone setting reduces anxiety and problematic smartphone use. Current Psychology, 42, 6778-6790.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02020-y

Holte, A. J., Fisher, W. N., & Ferraro, F. R. (2022). Afraid of being alone: Fear of Missing Out    predicts Cyberball-induced ostracism. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 7, 315-324.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-022-00251-9

Ferraro, F. R., Holte, A., & *Giesen, D. (2022) Does texting make you slower? Current Psychology, 41(5), 2980 – 2984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00821-1

Holte, A. J., & Ferraro, F. R. (2021) Tethered to Texting: Emotional Attachment to Cell Phones and Text- Message Dependence. Current Psychology, 40(1), 1-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0037-y 

Holte, A. J. & Ferraro, F. R. (2020) Anxious, bored, and (maybe) missing out: Evaluation of anxiety attachment, boredom proneness, and fear of missing out (FoMO) Computers in Human Behavior, 112 (1), 1-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106465