Do you think of happiness as a limited resource? That is arguably the implicit, if illogical, feeling underlying emotions like jealousy, envy and schadenfreude—that one person’s luck comes at the expense of your own. An envious worldview frames the positive stuff in life as a finite pool that can be depleted, much like money, which capitalism has bound tightly to notions of satisfaction. When you see someone else’s good fortune through jealous eyes, you want it too; when they suffer, you might feel they have been brought down closer to your level. This scarcity mindset can make it difficult to be happy for a friend when they are offered a new job, jet This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-Five Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 47 That’s Life The quiet tyranny of clichés. Arts & Culture Issue 44 Gross Profit The hidden help of disgusting things. Arts & Culture Issue 40 Fellow Feeling The pleasure of a stranger’s touch. Arts & Culture Issue 29 How to Hold a Grudge In defense of a petty pleasure. Arts & Culture Issue 29 Nose Deep Why do we love the smell of old books? Arts & Culture Issue 27 On Measuring Pain How much can something hurt?
