Handling Envy

Hi,

This week’s email is about how to handle envy in yourself and in others.

Here are the key practical points you should know (mainly from this research article):

• Envy is a painful emotion that people experience when they desire what they perceive as someone else’s superior qualities, achievements, or possessions.

• Envy can be destructive, for example when it causes people to diminish or harm others, lie about their own achievements, or feel frustrated by unattainable desires.

• Envy can also be constructive, when it motivates people to take positive action that improves their situation without harming others, including by seeking help from those they envy.

• To reduce the harmful consequences of envy, focus on channeling it in a constructive way, for example by learning from someone’s accomplishments, instead of trying to diminish them.

• To reduce envy itself, try to avoid opportunities for comparison, competition for resources, and problematic thought patterns like the zero-sum bias and crab mentality.

As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts.

Have a great week,
Itamar