Insights + interviews
As You Age, This Bad Habit Actually Diminishes…
Ah… all these jealousy and envy, the proverbial green-eyed monster.
The neighbour recently bought himself a spanking new Lexus while you continue to drive your beat up Suzuki SX4? Or your friend’s daughter once again aced her exams while your son languishes in the bottom three? Regardless of situation, being humans, at some point in time we’re all bound to feel that the grass is greener on the other side as we experience that tinge of envy or experience full blown jealousy, and boy does it feel uncomfortable.
A recent study conducted by the University of California, San Diego aims to assuage your concerns as findings indicate that we can enjoying being less jealous with each passing year of our lifespan. Analysing data from two studies, with a sample size of approximately 1,800 people between the ages of 18 and 80, the study examines the frequency of envy/jealousy as well as at what people of different ages are most jealous of.
The results are to be honest uplifting, as the study findings indicate that the majority of the sample felt a drop in their feelings of jealousy after the age of 50. Around 80 per cent of those in their 20s recalling being envious in the past year, but that dropped down to under 70 per cent for people over 50.
Across the board, people seemed to be jealous of those who are similar to them – gender, age and social strata, but when it comes to age cohorts, there’s a difference, with envy reflecting the things we value. The millennials and Gen Ys were more likely to envy another for their looks and romantic success while the active agers and baby boomers were more likely to be envious of things like wealth and being established.
In summary, the study concluded that the grip envy has on people diminishes with time, which is something good we can get out of ageing actively as we lead a fulfilled and happy life. And to add on to the joy of such a fact, there’s a study done by the University of Lancaster that indicates that happiness increases in our later years, with 58 being the age when people feel happiest, thanks to things like better work-life balance and being done raising children.
You can read more about the findings of the correlation between jealousy and ageing here.
