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Nobody admits to experiencing the ‘ugliest’ emotion, says human behavior expert
We are only humans. We make mistakes, feel emotions that aren’t always pleasant, and compare ourselves to others to measure our own success.
Though research has long established that positive emotions, such as gratitude, contribute to longevity, it’s a human tendency to slip and fall into a bottomless pit of negative emotions now and then. A psychologist highlights one such “ugly” feeling we experience.
Psychologist discusses the ‘ugliest’ emotion
If you thought anger or jealousy were greatly unpleasant to experience as humans, there’s something worse than that.
Robert Greene, psychologist, human behavior expert, and author of six international best-selling books talks in detail about a common human emotion, which is most appalling and can take different forms.
He says envy is the “most ugliest emotion” humans experience and nobody ever wants to admit to feeling that way about others.
“It’s a sign that we feel inferior. It’s an ugly emotion and it leads to sabotage, passive-aggressive behavior,” he says. It’s also an emotion most of us feel, but do not act on it similarly.
As Robert explains, passive envy is what we feel daily, but it doesn’t have an impact. Such as comparing yourself with others on social media or feeling envious of your neighbor for their new car.
Whereas, aggressive envy takes a strong hold on the person experiencing it. People who are “envier type” are prone to feeling such a strong emotion that they act on it. When a person feels aggressive envy, they often make remarks that hurt the person they are envious of.
You can flip it to feel beautiful
Envy is born out of resentment about not having something that others do. But, being grateful for what you have can change the unpleasant emotion into something beautiful and creative.
The psychologist says you can flip that into something “joyful and actually powerful and creative once you’re aware you have these tendencies.” You can do this in a few simple steps.
- Stop comparing yourself to others who are more provided for or have accumulated more wealth.
- Build gratitude for what you have in life that others aren’t fortunate enough to experience.
Other researchers, such as mindfulness expert Dr. Ellen Langer echo similar emotions about finding joy and happiness.
As she explains on The Rich Roll Podcast, the true excitement and joy lie in trying out things and always pushing yourself to do better, not in being successful at something.
