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The Science of Jealousy

Jealousy might appear to be a pointless, foolish, and harmful emotion. However, it provides a crucial defensive function. If Carrie Bradshaw were a scientific writer, she'd wonder about the evolutionary meaning of romantic jealousy. Let's take a deep dive into one of our least favorite feelings just in time for Valentine's Day.

What exactly is jealousy?

Jealousy is a complicated emotion that includes feelings of uncertainty, fear, rage, worry, and resentment. Dr. Gery Karantzas is an Associate Professor in Deakin University's School of Psychology and the Director of the Science of Adult Relationships Lab.

According to Gery, experts describe jealousy as a danger to a relationship that stems from a rival or an external source.

According to Gery, the typical adversary is another person, although envy may be aimed towards nearly anything, real or perceived. For example, we may be envious of our partner's work, which consumes all of their time, or of a pastime that we believe diverts a family member's attention away from us. And envy isn't only restricted to humans; even man's best buddy is susceptible.

What is the source of it?

So, if any man, woman, and even their dog may be jealous, what is the point of it?

According to Gery, jealousy is commonly regarded to be composed of a sequence of unpleasant emotions such as rage, despair, and fear. And we know that these sorts of emotions serve a vital purpose in terms of self-protection and, in this case, relationship protection.

Anger drives us to intervene and deal with the threat, but anxiety drives us to keep an eye on what's going on around us in order to be safe.

According to Gery, in this case, the thing to keep an eye on is that your spouse isn't bailing on the relationship.

Please pay heed!

Jealousy isn't a pleasant emotion, therefore we typically try to ignore or avoid it when it arises. However, if we want to deal with it in the long run, we should do the opposite.

Ignoring it, according to Gery, will not help it go away and may even make it worse. Jealousy will keep returning unless we deal with it. And it might require a lot of our energy to hold it at bay until the underlying issue is treated.

Getting rid of the green-eyed monster

Gery doesn't mean getting furious or doing anything hasty when he talks about conquering envy.

Jealousy, according to Gery, is a sign that something isn't quite right. This might be a problem with us, our partner, or both.

The greatest method to overcome envy is to think on and address what it is drawing our attention to.

As Gery put it, "ask yourself why you're feeling jealous." Typically, jealousy is the outward manifestation of a deeper issue. What is your take on the situation? What are the triggers for you that cause you to feel jealous?

Gery doesn't mean getting furious or doing anything hasty when he talks about conquering envy.

Jealousy, according to Gery, is a sign that something isn't quite right. This might be a problem with us, our partner, or both.

The greatest method to overcome envy is to think on and address what it is drawing our attention to.

As Gery put it, "ask yourself why you're feeling jealous." Typically, jealousy is the outward manifestation of a deeper issue. What is your take on the situation? What are the triggers for you that cause you to feel jealous?

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