Benign Envy vs Malicious Envy: What’s the Difference?

When you envy someone, you want something they have that you don’t have. This can be a promotion, a skill, etc. Benign and malicious envy are similar emotions that can make someone feel negative about themselves. Nevertheless, they lead to different reactions; So, the most significant difference between the two is how a person deals with their feelings of envy. The article “Validating the ‘Two Faces’ of Envy: The Effect of Self-control” published in Frontiers in Psychology states that someone experiencing benign envy strives to improve themselves in order to achieve what the person he envies has.

Although it can be painful, benign envy can be used as a motivational tool to achieve or set goals. In addition, you can still do this while wishing the person you envy well, e.g. B. a friend who received a high-paying job offer. Licensed therapist Deborah Vinall explained to Well+Good why this works. “When you are safe, there is no threat to the success of others,” she said. “You can both wish you had what they have while you’re genuinely happy for them.”

To use benign envy to your advantage, psychology professor Gerrod Parrott told Vox you should ask yourself how and why the person you envy got to where they are. He said: “Then you can imitate or imitate the methods, techniques, ideas, movements and whatever you yourself need to improve in some way.”