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Is Envy Harmful to a Society’s Psychological Health and Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Study of 18,000 Adults

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  • Mujcic, Redzo

    (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna)

  • Oswald, Andrew J.

    (University of Warwick, CAGE, and IZA)

Abstract

Nearly 100 years ago, the philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell warned of the social dangers of widespread envy. One view of modern society is that it is systematically developing a set of institutions - such as social media and new forms of advertising - that make people feel inadequate and envious of others. If so, how might that be influencing the psychological health of our citizens? This paper reports the first large-scale longitudinal research into envy and its possible repercussions. The paper studies 18,000 randomly selected individuals over the years 2005, 2009, and 2013. Using measures of SF-36 mental health and psychological well-being, four main conclusions emerge. First, the young are especially susceptible. Levels of envy fall as people grow older. This longitudinal finding is consistent with a cross-sectional pattern noted recently by Nicole E. Henniger and Christine R. Harris, and with the theory of socioemotional regulation suggested by scholars such as Laura L.Carstensen. Second, using fixed-effects equations and prospective analysis, the analysis reveals that envy today is a powerful predictor of worse SF-36 mental health and well-being in the future. A change from the lowest to the highest level of envy, for example, is associated with a worsening of SF-36 mental health by approximately half a standard deviation (p

Suggested Citation

  • Mujcic, Redzo & Oswald, Andrew J., 2018. "Is Envy Harmful to a Society’s Psychological Health and Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Study of 18,000 Adults," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 361, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cge:wacage:361
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    Cited by:

    1. David G. Blanchflower & Carol L. Graham, 2022. "The Mid-Life Dip in Well-Being: a Critique," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 287-344, May.
    2. Drakopoulos, Stavros A., 2023. "The Economics of Wellbeing and Psychology: An Historical and Methodological Viewpoint," MPRA Paper 117891, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Osea Giuntella & Sally McManus & Redzo Mujcic & Andrew J. Oswald & Nattavudh Powdthavee & Ahmed Tohamy, 2023. "The Midlife Crisis," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(357), pages 65-110, January.
    4. Ronayne, David & Sgroi, Daniel, 2018. "Ignoring Good Advice," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 359, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    5. Rainer Zitelmann, 2024. "Popular perceptions of the rich in 13 countries," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(2), pages 363-373, June.
    6. Shadi Beshai & Sandeep Mishra & Justin R. Feeney & Tansi Summerfield & Chet C. Hembroff & Gregory P. Krätzig, 2022. "Resilience in the Ranks: Trait Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Buffer the Deleterious Effects of Envy on Mental Health Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-12, May.
    7. Stefano Bartolini & Marcin Piekalkiewicz & Francesco Sarracino, 2019. "A Social Cure for Social Comparisons," Department of Economics University of Siena 797, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    8. FitzRoy, Felix & Jin, Jim & Nolan, Michael A., 2019. "Higher Tax and Less Work: An Optimal Response to Relative Income Concern," IZA Discussion Papers 12468, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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