Research finds most people report hiding illnesses from those around them

BOSTON - A new analysis finds FOMO or "the fear of missing out" drives many people to conceal the fact that they're sick from others around them.

If your co-worker with the sniffles says, "It's just allergies", you should think twice before believing them. A team at the University of Michigan looked at data on more than 4,000 university students, health care employees, and online crowdsourced workers. They found that 75% reported hiding their illness from people around them, possibly putting those individuals in harm's way.

Reasons included wanting to attend social events like parties and not wanting to miss work. Researchers said people are choosing to put their own goals ahead of the safety of others which can have huge public-health consequences.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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