Can't Shake That Green-Eyed Monster?: Understanding Envying's Psychological Clutches - And When It Incites
- authored by Jens Schröder
- ~14 Min Read
Strife spurred by jealousy: its origins and escalation - In instances of envy's persistent torment, and cases where it fuels our very existence.
Emotions govern our minds and actions, permeating our perspectives, memories, and aspirations. Though we cancondition our feelings to some extent, they have an overarching influence on us. We engage in activities to elicit positive feelings, for example.
Envy—a complex emotion characterized by feelings of insecurity and resentment toward those who possess qualities or achievements we covet—exerts substantial influence over our psychological health and behavior. Often, this manifests in destructive actions.
Envy's Psychological Impact
- Harboring Bad Intentions: Envy can breed ill-will and even schadenfreude, causing individuals to derive pleasure from others' misfortunes, fostering toxic social interactions [1][5].
- Compulsive Comparisons: Envy entails continuous and detrimental comparisons with others, exacerbating feelings of inadequacy and undermining self-esteem [1].
- Mental Health Consequences: Similar to jealousy, envy has been linked to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and mood swings due to prolonged stress and dissatisfaction [2][4].
- Embarrassing Emotion: Envy is frequently deemed a shameful emotion, prompting individuals to conceal it, leading to increased stress and internal turmoil [1].
Envy's Influence on Behavior
- Competitive Striving: Envy can instigate individuals to strive harder to achieve their goals, but this pursuit can also lead to unscrupulous behavior if the focus lies on surpassing others rather than personal growth [1].
- Social isolation: In certain instances, envy may precipitate social withdrawal, as individuals feel inferior to others, resulting in loneliness and exacerbating existing mental health problems [1].
- Destructive Social Dynamics: Envy can lead to sabotage or harm towards others, as envious individuals may seek to undermine the success of those they envy [1][5].
Reducing Envy's Grip
To manage envy effectively, focus on self-improvement and innate motivation rather than external validation. Practicing empathy and understanding towards others can help diminish envy by fostering a sense of camaraderie [5]. Recognizing and addressing feelings of inadequacy also helps mitigate envy’s negative effects.
- The complex emotion of envy, as discussed by Jens Schröder in his work, can shape our psychological health and behavior, leading to the cultivation of bad intentions such as deriving pleasure from others' misfortunes (schadenfreude).
- Envy often incites constant and damaging comparisons with others, which can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and undermine self-esteem, negatively impacting mental health.
- Prolonged exposure to envy can intensify mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and mood swings, highlighting the need for understanding its psychological clutches.
- Envy, a commonly concealed emotion, can torment individuals, leading to increased stress and internal turmoil, demonstrating the far-reaching implications it has on health-and-wellness and mental-health.
