Envy

Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another's quality, skill, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it. 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". Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. The conditions under which envy occurs, how people deal with it, and whether it can inspire people to emulate those they envy remain as subjects of modern research. Jealousy differs from envy in that jealousy is usually focused on emotional relationships and the fear of losing them, and envy is focused on a desire for other people's things or situations.