Cognitive Connie
What is envy?
Envy arises when a person lacks something — a possession, an achievement, a quality — that another person has, and when that comparison is painful. It is a dyadic emotion (self and the envied other), in contrast to jealousy, which is triadic (self, partner, and rival). This distinction is widely confused in everyday language but is psychologically important.
Key concepts
Envy
A painful emotion arising from an upward social comparison in which another person has something — a possession, trait, status, or achievement — that the envying person wants and lacks. Envy always involves the self and one other person (dyadic), unlike jealousy which involves a third party.
Benign envy
A form of envy characterised by motivation to improve oneself and attain what the envied person has. Accompanied by the belief that the other's advantage is deserved. Energises upward striving and is associated with better performance on tasks relevant to the envied domain.
Malicious envy
A form of envy characterised by motivation to harm, undermine, or deprive the envied person of their advantage. Associated with the belief that the advantage is undeserved. More likely to produce schadenfreude when the envied person later suffers.
Upward social comparison
Comparing oneself with someone who is perceived as better off on a relevant dimension. Upward comparison can motivate improvement (if the gap seems closeable) or produce envy and discouragement (if the gap seems unbridgeable). The emotional consequence depends heavily on perceived closeness — we tend to envy people similar to us more than those who are very different.
Schadenfreude
Pleasure experienced at another's misfortune. Related to envy — people are more likely to feel schadenfreude about the misfortune of someone they envy. The German word has no direct English equivalent, reflecting a phenomenon that crosses cultures but may be more openly acknowledged in some.
Test your knowledge
Frequently asked questions
How does envy differ from jealousy?+
Envy is a two-person emotion: person A wants something that person B has (a possession, achievement, quality). Jealousy is a three-person emotion: person A fears losing something (usually a relationship) to person C who threatens to take it from B. Envy involves want; jealousy involves fear of loss. The everyday conflation of the two terms obscures this important difference — "I'm jealous of your new job" is technically envy, not jealousy.
What determines whether envy becomes benign or malicious?+
Van de Ven and colleagues found that perceived deservingness is the key factor. When the envied person is seen as having earned their advantage through effort or legitimate means, envy tends to take the benign form — motivating the envying person to work harder. When the advantage is seen as undeserved, unearned, or the result of luck or injustice, envy tends to take the malicious form — motivating the desire to pull the other person down.
What is the relationship between envy and schadenfreude?+
Schadenfreude — pleasure at another's misfortune — is more intensely experienced toward people one has previously envied. Research shows that brain regions associated with reward (striatum) are more active when envied people suffer, and that the amount of brain activity in pain-related regions when initially viewing the envied person's advantage predicts how much striatal activation (pleasure) occurs when they later suffer a setback. This links envy's motivational core to a desire not just to have more but for the gap to close — even if that means others have less.