The psychologists had distinctively explained the difference between envy and jealousy. Envy is a feeling of resentment over the fact that the person doesn’t have what others possess, whether it be property, ability, or status. Jealousy, on the other hand, is a possessive feeling a person has towards another person they have a relationship with, and to a fault, prohibiting the other from giving their attention to others. Envy occurs between two people. Jealousy happens when a third party is involved.

Although people would often use these terms out of context. For instance, a person would say they feel jealous over someone having good looks— but this conveys envy rather than jealousy. Thus, to confirm the feeling of jealousy of a person, they must provide additional context to back up their statement.

Jealousy and envy may exist simultaneously when there is rivalry for someone’s affection. For instance, between two people, when one resents the other for being great at something, that is envy, and then they feel threatened when a third party recognizes that greatness is a feeling of jealousy.

While these two feelings can co-exist in a situation, jealousy and envy are not the same emotions. Envy is resentment, while jealousy is a feeling of being threatened to lose the other person. But both come from one thing— attachment. Clinging on to something and to relationships and the wanting to feel important and to be in control of people and items will result in these negative emotions.

However, jealousy and envy are natural emotions but need to be managed to avoid yielding unfavorable reactions. Start being more aware of oneself, embracing both strengths and weaknesses. Once you feel content and forgive yourself, you will stop seeking your sense of importance from possessions and gaining control over other people. Lastly, emulate the good qualities of the other rather than feel resentful.