"Studies show non-family-like relationships (i.e., close friends, casual friends, and acquaintances) are more likely to elicit feelings of envy than family-like relationships (i.e., relatives, siblings, best friends, and romantic partners). Research also reassures us that 'more than three-fourths of survey participants report that they had experienced envy in the last year.'"
"We are more likely to envy others of the same gender and within five years of our own age. We're most likely to envy monetary and occupational success (although I have also been known to envy my friend CJ's lustrous hair)."
"When I see a LinkedIn post from successful, keynote-speaking friends, I experience two simultaneous emotions: genuine happiness for their achievements, and a sense of longing for similar success in my own life. I don't feel the same pangs of envy with keynote-speaker-strangers as I do with my friends; these mixed feelings of admiration paired with self-comparison illustrate how envy can show up in close relationships."
Envy is a widespread emotion experienced by over 75 percent of people annually, with higher prevalence among younger adults. Non-family relationships like friendships trigger more envy than family bonds, and people most commonly envy those of the same gender within five years of their age, particularly regarding monetary and occupational success. Envy manifests differently depending on relationship proximity—people experience stronger envious feelings toward friends than strangers achieving similar accomplishments. The emotion involves simultaneous conflicting feelings of genuine happiness for others' achievements alongside personal longing for similar success. Understanding envy's psychological nature helps normalize this uncomfortable emotion and provides strategies for managing it constructively.
#envy-psychology #peer-comparison #emotional-intelligence #friendship-dynamics #motivation-and-growth
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]