Envy

Portrait of a demented woman or The monomaniac of jealousy, by Théodore Géricault, c. 1819–1822

Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another's quality, skill, achievement, or possession and wishes that the other lacked it.[1] Envy can also refer to the wish for another person to lack something one already possesses so as to remove the equality of possession between both parties.

Aristotle defined envy as pain at the sight of another's good fortune, stirred by "those who have what we ought to have".[2] Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness.[3] Recent research considered the conditions under which it occurs, how people deal with it, and whether it can inspire people to emulate those they envy.[4][5]