Last update: February 22, 2015
Certainly you have often heard of "healthy envy". However, envy is a feeling full of resentment and negative desires. What happens is that, sometimes, to lessen the weight of the word "envy" we try to call it "healthy envy", with the intention of not making it seem like a negative feeling towards another person. But does healthy envy really exist or is it a falsehood that we say only so as not to make a bad impression in front of others?
Why does envy arise?
Envy can have different origins, but the main cause of this negative feeling towards others is the person who feels it and their way of seeing things in life. In general, this emotion arises because you have personal frustrations, low self-esteem or the inability to reach goals we have set for ourselves in life. When other people around us have better living conditions and we are unable to accept it, this feeling arises. Insecurity is another factor that generates this state of resentment.
Wanting what others have or wanting to have a life similar to theirs is a clear sign of insecurity and selfishness. This deep negative feeling can almost always be observed even within a family or a group of friends: among the people around us, there is always someone who is unable to rejoice in the successes of others.
Can envy be considered a healthy and positive attitude?
Envy is a negative feeling, also composed of other emotional states such as resentment, greed, hatred and frustration: for this reason it can never be classified as a healthy or positive feeling.. The so popular saying "healthy envy", therefore, is nothing more than a mask.
People who constantly feel envious suffer a great deal of frustration, which could even lead to depression. Envy is associated with low self-esteem, fear or insecurity, as well as depression: for this reason, talking about "healthy envy" is only a way of attenuating, when we are talking about it, the negative feelings that many people have towards others.
