Envy effect

‘Envy’ effect.


If you are put into three different situations, which will disturb you the most?

1   1)  Your colleague gets the hike and you don’t. 2) Your junior salary brought to your level and you remain at the same. 3) In this pandemic, everyone goes in to pay cut, yours is more due to seniority.

If you get disturbed more by situation 1 is quite natural and normal. And maybe conventionally you are not abnormal.


This is an expression of a specific emotion called ‘Envy’.


Let us understand what things spark envy? May be status, health, talent, beauty, ownership, fame, stardom, etc.,

In fact, ‘Envy’ is many times invariably confused with ‘Jealousy’. Maybe because the external reactions in both the case are identical.


Yet, it’s important to know the difference between the two.


Example- The subject of envy is a thing like status, money, talent, beauty, etc., while the subject of jealousy is the behavior of a third person.


Envy requires two people while jealousy needs three.


Paradoxically, we envy people of similar age, career, background as ours.

We don’t envy big businessman or we don’t envy CEO.

Aristotle rightly said ‘Potter envy Potter.’


The only way you can curb ‘envy’ is to stop comparing yourself with others and form your own competence circle and fill it by yourself, create a niche where you are the BEST.