Envy

Sometimes we want what others have.

This feeling is called envy. It happens when we lack a skill or a thing.

Envy can feel bad. It might make us feel sad. It can even make us want to bring others down.

But envy can also be good. It can help us work harder. We might try to be as good as others.

Children often envy things like toys or games.

As we grow up, we envy different things. We might envy how people act or how they look.

We can learn to be happy with what we have.

Envy is a strong feeling. It happens when we lack something another person has. This could be a skill, a win, or a thing.

We might want that thing for ourselves. We might even wish the other person did not have it.

There are two main types of envy. One type is called malicious envy. This is a bad feeling. It makes a person want to bring others down.

The other type is benign envy. This is still a negative feeling, but it can help us. It can make us want to work harder to be good.

This can lead to success.

Children often envy things like video games or phones. As kids grow up, they envy different things. They might envy how others look or how popular they are. Adults often envy things like jobs or money. People under age 30 feel envy more often than older people.

Learning to handle these feelings is very important.

Envy is a powerful emotion that many people feel. It happens when someone lacks a skill, an achievement, or a possession that another person has.

This feeling can lead to two different desires. A person might want the thing for themselves. Or, they might wish the other person did not have it at all. Some people think envy is the same as jealousy. However, jealousy is usually about the fear of losing a relationship. Envy is more about wanting someone else's situation or things.

Researchers believe there are two main ways envy works. One way is called malicious envy. This is an unpleasant feeling where a person wants to bring others down. They might even hurt themselves to make the other person lose.

The other way is called benign envy. This is still a negative feeling, but it can be helpful. Benign envy can motivate a person to work harder or improve. It can lead to admiration and positive thoughts about the other person. If handled correctly, it can help someone become a better person.

Many thinkers have studied this emotion throughout history. The philosopher Aristotle defined envy as pain caused by seeing good fortune. He said it is stirred by people who have what we should have. In 1859, Charles Darwin wrote about how emotions might help animals survive. Later, in 1872, he wrote about how emotions evolved. In 1998, a neuroscientist named Jaak Panksepp showed that mammalian brains can create emotions. A researcher named Frans de Waal also studied primates. He found that chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys use envy to help regulate fairness in their groups.

Envy often changes as people grow from children into adults. Young children often envy material objects like video games or shoes. They often believe these things show their social status. As children become adolescents, they may envy things like popularity or appearance. Adults under the age of 30 often feel envy more frequently. They might envy social status or relationships. As people get older, they often accept their own status. However, studies show that envy over money can actually increase as people age.

People use many ways to cope with these strong feelings. Some people try to avoid the feeling entirely. Others use a method called self-bolstering. This means thinking about your own good qualities to feel better. This can help stop negative thoughts from taking over. In some cultures, envy is linked to specific colors. In English-speaking places, people say someone is "green with envy." In other cultures, yellow is the color used for envy. Understanding these feelings helps people find true satisfaction with what they already have.

Envy is a complex emotion that arises when a person lacks a specific quality, skill, achievement, or possession that another person has. This feeling can manifest in two primary ways. A person may desire to acquire the thing the other person possesses. Alternatively, they may wish that the other person no longer had that advantage. This desire to remove the equality of possession between parties is a key part of the experience.

While often confused with jealousy, the two are distinct. Jealousy is usually focused on emotional relationships and the fear of losing them. Envy, however, focuses on a desire for other people's things or specific life situations.

Researchers have identified two distinct subtypes of envy, a distinction also found in the Dutch language. The first is malicious envy, which is a highly unpleasant emotion. It causes the envious person to want to bring down the person who is better off, even if it comes at their own personal cost.

The second subtype is benign envy. While still an unpleasant emotion, benign envy involves recognizing that others are better off and using that as motivation to aspire to the same level. If managed correctly, benign envy can provide emulation, improvement motivation, and even admiration for the target. This can positively affect a person's future by encouraging them to succeed.

There is an ongoing scientific debate regarding how these subtypes are defined. Some researchers argue that the subtypes should not be seen as distinct forms of envy. They believe that the "action tendencies"—the urge to damage someone's position versus the urge to improve one's own—are not part of the emotion's definition. Instead, they suggest the specific situation determines how the envy leads to behavior. Others contend that these action tendencies are an integral part of the emotion itself. They believe the situation determines which specific subtype a person experiences.

Historically, many thinkers have attempted to define and understand this phenomenon. The philosopher Aristotle defined envy as the pain felt at the sight of another's good fortune. He noted it is often stirred by those who possess what we feel we ought to have. In the 19th century, Charles Darwin provided a new perspective through evolutionary theory. His 1859 book advanced natural selection, and his 1872 work, "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals," suggested that emotions evolved to offer survival value. In 1998, neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp provided data showing that mammalian brains are equipped to generate emotional experiences.

Further research by Frans de Waal on primates showed that chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys use envy to regulate fairness and justice within their social groups.

Envy often centers on material possessions or social status. When people experience overwhelming envy over objects, it can lead to emotional pain and a lack of self-worth. This can lower a person's self-esteem and overall well-being. To manage these feelings, individuals may use various coping strategies. Researchers Salovey and Rodin suggested in 1988 that stimulus-focused strategies are more effective than self-focused ones. They also noted that "self-bolstering," or thinking about one's own good qualities, can help mute negative reactions.

This process is similar to how people use anger management to handle resentment.

The experience of envy changes significantly throughout the human lifespan. In childhood, envy is often directed at material objects like video games, shoes, or mobile phones. Children frequently link these objects to social status, which is closely tied to self-esteem. As children enter adolescence, they begin to envy non-materialistic things like popularity, physical appearance, and achievements. Adolescence is a critical period for identity development. If a child develops an unhealthy form of envy, it can lead to feelings of inadequacy or even depression. Adults under the age of 30 are generally more likely to experience envy than those over 30. While younger adults may envy social status or relationships, older adults tend to accept their social standing, though envy regarding money often increases with age.

Envy also holds significant weight in various religious and cultural traditions. In Roman Catholicism, it is recognized as one of the seven deadly sins. The Islamic tradition, through a narration in Hadith, suggests that envy can consume good deeds like fire consumes wood. In Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita describes a compassionate friend who does not envy as being very dear to Krishna. Culturally, English-speaking societies often associate envy with the color green. This is seen in the phrase "green with envy." However, in other cultures, yellow is often the primary color associated with envy and egotistical behaviors.