Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

Envy is ubiquitous and one of the most fundamental of emotions. Envy is one's own discontent with regard to another's advantages, successes & possessions. It's telling that our envy towards the accomplishments of others is so powerful that it controls every aspect of how we act; yet we deny this truth completely because we don't want to admit it to ourselves. In fact, envy is so primitive that unless you maintain your awareness that it's there, you may not recognize that it's affecting your objectivity.

Envy is universal because it's actually hardwired into our physiology; your brain is stimulated by envy via the hormone, oxytocin. Physical manifestations like this must be grounded in evolutionary pressure, probably because the superlative achievements of a rival lead to more and better mating opportunities, plus the advantages in food procurement, as well as general improvement in living conditions that a more capable or lucky competitor enjoy. When limited resources are involved, the gain of one would be at the expense of the other, which makes it imperative that the less fortunate individual or group envy and attempt to prevent successful indulgence by competitors. It's sad to think we are dominated by envy but it's comforting to know everyone else feels it too.