Comments on: How Jealousy and Envy Destroy Happiness

By: Connie

Connie — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 04:39:03 +0000

This post is right on! It can get exhausting to constantly compare oneself to others. I learned earlier on in the U.S. (I’m from Southern Africa) that, the best way to compete and actually become successful in an American classroom, (i know this is a long sentence) was to compete against the material presented. For example, I’d say, Psychology 101? You think you gonna win against me? Right…then of course I’d study well and that helped me remember and retrieve info and ace the course. I decided to do this after I realized that it was stressful to compare myself to so many different people in different scenarios. Also, I had experienced exclusion and indirect aggression. This only happened sometimes. Most students were cool. So, getting a high mark pumped my self esteem up.

That helped me get straight As in a Public Speaking class and so on. Not only that, some students would come and ask me how I did it (present so well that is). To inspire others to do well is better that being envious and jealous. Comparing myself was not helping me. So, I changed. These days, I see people complete and talk behind others’ back…it’s all nonsense. I compliment others when it’s appropriate and try to stay away from the she said…i said stuff. We are supposed to grow up and become wiser…at least be wiser by age 26. Otherwise grown ups who do this, why waste precious time. This can bring unnecessary stress in my view. I just try to keep an open mind and keep things in perspective. Individualism and collectivism have the pros and cons as well. On top of that, we live in a sad world of CREDIT, it can be helpful, but overall, it has created a sad scenario for humanity. Peace:)

By: Dhaval

Dhaval — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:51:19 +0000

Jealousy always hurts the person himself. Its like taking a hammer and cutting your own leg. It could be surprising but many pursue even love the same way. I wrote an article earlier, it says the same but in relationahips. http://dhavalraja.com/blog/2009/02/16/types-of-love/

By: Rob Johansen

Rob Johansen — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:29:05 +0000

I may be just a school student, having never studied business in my life, but surely this article is obsolete on the basis that the source material used has been analysed in the wrong way.

I think the main reason everyone would want to earn more then others is that if you were the only person earning half as much as everyone else, you wouldnt be able to feed yourself and your family with the fact that every purchasable item would suffer inflation due to everyone having the same wages (except poor old you of course).

By: christopher

christopher — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:02:14 +0000

I like this artical, i have always thought jealousy is a waste of emotions and consider myself never a jealous person but i have met ,even have in my family seriously jelous people and the things they do to compete is hard to take especially if their family. I have a great way of stopping being jealous of others, just stop wanting, i stop wanting then find im happier, yes i do have my needs, we all do to live and survive, thats life its just when it goes over the top that cause anxieties when alot is not neccesarily.
I have a sister and her husband and children are very well off yet they still are jealous if any friends or my two children have something they havent got, espeicially if they cant buy it, they almost hate you for it, they are insanly jealous of their personal achievments, its as if now they have been financially succesfull they are still not satisfied unless others must fail around them, it makes people dislike them not for their succes but their personal traits they have gained that has made them quite spitefull people, this is very hard when it is family, when all you want is to be with loved ones. media is also to blame for this… try a simple not wanting life concertrate on your needs and personal goals , ignore others questioning and if were lucky some of us may have a good life, and if your lucky to survive, eat and live always be happy with what you got not unhappy with what you havent got, keep that jealousy away out of your life it eats at people. chris

By: Patty

Patty — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:32:29 +0000

What a sick culture we have…where we WANT to feel like we have more than others, instead of not wanting to seem greedy or ostentatious. I wish our culture valued humbleness, sharing, philanthropy, being concerned about the suffering in the world. That we would be repulsed by conspicuous consumption, amazed at self-absorption. Oh well….

By: The Profit Police and How They Kill Everyone

The Profit Police and How They Kill Everyone — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:53:31 +0000

[...] reading: How Jealousy and Envy Destroy Happiness by Steve Olson Life ain’t a zero-sum game. Why Income Inequality Matters by Charles Wheelan Printable View [...]

By: anita

anita — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:38:11 +0000

You know i hate that as well. At work when some one else gets a raise then other guys want to complain and implicatebpeople. Yet the same people get favored during other times…and then its ok. I believe that God will always give us wht is inteded for us. If the raise is good for me then God will give it to me. Wht should i care if xx has a benz…i would rather thank God that I am not renting and that i have food on my table throught the year. That is the only way to be happy

By: Chris Mayfield

Chris Mayfield — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:49:23 +0000

Sedalia Missouri walmart

By: Chris Mayfield

Chris Mayfield — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:48:35 +0000

I work at the Sedalia Walmart Supercenter and every week,the associates will get very hostile towards me and very rude cause they are jealous of my financial sucess, they think they are getting towards me and making me upset to quite my job there…..but I just think and giggle to myself and think they are jealous it hurts them not me, they only wish they could have the money I have. Payday arrives and they are happy until they have their alcohol party and loose their doe they work hard for…..my money works hard for me.

By: Deanna

Deanna — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:11:06 +0000

Check out this awsome audio-article on jealousy. http://www.womensselfesteem.com/jealousyaudioarticle1.html