There are times when we feel discomfort due to some negative emotions that we cannot avoid in our lives, but many times we confuse one with the other. This is the case of jealousy and envy, two different emotions but that share several common features that, until now, surely you were unaware of. Both are quite negative, not very constructive and, sometimes, directly destructive, since they hinder our calm or long-awaited well-being. Do you know what are the differences and similarities between jealousy and envy? We tell you all about the worst emotions you can feel. 
How are jealousy and envy different?
- That discomfort you feel when you see your friend walking in the park happy because he has adopted a dog is not jealousy, it is envy. The pang you get when you see your friend’s vacation photos on social media isn’t jealousy, it’s envy. Or your frown when your neighbor pulls out of the garage with his new car isn’t jealousy, it’s envy.
- You are jealous when your mother gives your sister a prettier and more expensive gift than you; jealousy mixed with envy, rather. You feel jealous when your partner goes to have a coffee with his new co-worker or when he spends hours chatting and you see him smile. Or you may also be jealous of your friend because she has met a new group of people and does not include you in her activities.
- You see the difference? It is true that sometimes jealousy and envy go hand in hand, but not always. Envy is wanting something that another person has. But not just want it, that should not cause any discomfort, but you want it by putting the focus of attention more on the person who has it than on the object or activity that it has in itself.
- And the jealousy? Well, jealousy is really dangerous because it is marked by a feeling of possession towards another person. Jealousy is the fear of losing someone, but not of losing a loved one because he dies, but of ceasing to be important to that person. A natural fear that becomes dysfunctional when jealousy takes the form of arguments, reproaches, blackmail or accusations.
What do jealousy and envy have in common?
- Feeling jealous is not the same as feeling envy. You feel jealous of a third person who can interfere in your relationship, friendship or family, of that person who can take away your prominence. You feel envy of another person when you consider that their life is better than yours, that they are happier or that they have more material things than you. And although jealousy and envy are not the same, they do come from the same place.
- Jealousy and envy are emotions that we consider negative due to the inner discomfort that they cause us. Indeed, they are not constructive or useful emotions since they do not promote our well-being and affect our emotional balance, as well as being quite harmful to those around us. How much damage will not have been done in the name of envy or jealousy?
- As we say, both arise from the same place. Of vital frustration, insecurity in ourselves and low self-esteem. Is the goal to eradicate these emotions from our hearts? Not at all, we couldn’t do it. What we can do is that the prick of jealousy or envy does not negatively impact our lives and that of others. And that is achieved by accepting who we are, how we are and what we have.