[weatherlite]

Thought experiment - let's say you are the poorest person in your neighborhood. Would talking to your neighbors daily about their salaries really make you feel better? I mean them having money, even if more than you is a good thing according to you what you said.

[Enginerrrd]

Just FYI, Not everyone feels jealousy like you're suggesting here.

I know I never have. I never understood why people get so worked up about that sort of thing honestly. It never bothered me if someone wanted to date my ex, or if they had some sudden windfall, or are doing well.

But I see some people feel this intensely! I'm sympathetic, IMO, they don't choose to feel that way. But it's funny to me, if I were to walk down the street and see two people, and give each of them $5, it would be all smiles. But for a certain percentage of people, if I gave the person on the left $5 and the person on the right $100, they'd feel worse than when they had no money!

[weatherlite]

Never said everyone, but it's definitely prevalent. How prevalent could be an interesting discussion (I don't know the answer) but I have many reasons to believe most people do experience it from time to time based on my personal experience and how I interpret behavior of others. Also there is a biological/evolutionary incentive to be a bit envious and jealous which affirms my conviction that it is prevalent.

Moreover - how do you know you won't experience it in the future? Have you ever been unemployed for 4 years? Maybe being unemployed for 4 years would make you envious of a friend who just got a job in Google. Have you ever been with a woman you loved dearly only to find out she cheated on you and left you for another man? Maybe going through this traumatic experience would make you envious.

I'm just saying it's easy to be content when things are going well, indeed I don't feel much envy - but I'm super aware I am quite lucky. If things stop going well who knows what negative emotions would pop up - it won't be a picnic thats for sure.

[id]

This is interesting, I'm the same as you. I can't really explain why, and I don't think that I have higher morals or something like that.

If I played the ultimatum game, and the other person offered me 0$ out of $100, I would let them have their $100.

[id]

Yes, because if they made less money, it wouldn't help me at all (it could even hurt me because then they have nothing to share). In difficult personal situations, it has often helped me to know that at least others have it better.

[weatherlite]

> Yes, because if they made less money, it wouldn't help me at all

Let's continue this thought experiment - say with a flick of my fingers I made everyone in the world have half the money they have now - but I leave you with the same amount. So you are basically 2X richer than you were before. You say this doesn't help you at all - I think it actually increases your chances of finding housing, finding a mate, getting healthcare etc. Your material well being is established relative to others. If we expand the neighborhood example further - to city or country, it is obvious why the amount others have relative to you matters. In a world of infinite resources envy doesn't make sense, but in our world resources are limited.

[id]

Yeah, but you changed the thought experiment from neighbourhood to "everyone in the world". This obviously would have a much, much bigger impact on my relative wealth.

And even then, the economy is not a zero-sum game. It is possible to become wealthier without making others poorer. If I get healthcare, it doesn't mean that someone else needs to be denied healthcare.

[weatherlite]

> And even then, the economy is not a zero-sum game

I agree to an extent. If say GDP increases it usually means the economy does better which means you will get better services (healthcare, housing, personal safety for you and your children etc) so you have an interest in others doing well. However you also have an interest in not doing worse than most since as I said the amount of resources you can get is relative to others (resources is anything from housing to healthcare to your ability to find a mate). I think this principal hasn't changed much since us being cavemen and neither have feelings of envy.

And again, there is not much evolutionary since in having no feelings of envy at all since it's a big motivator for people. Many times you feel envy or anxiety and you do something about it to improve your lot. Its there for a reason (sure, often it goes out of hand which is unfortunate). Consider yourself fortunate for not feeling much envy (or at all)!

[DSingularity]

if only things were so ideal that we all could all process things with such detachment.

[cortesoft]

Sure, but there is only one person in the neighborhood that is the poorest. Most people are going to be around the average, so they aren't going to have the experience of everyone being richer than them.

[maximus-decimus]

Yes because it lets me know I can probably make more money?

[krnlpnc]

And helps build a personal network that could possibly help