The Effects of Envy on Reciprocation in a Social Dilemma

Abstract

This article presents two studies that address Axelrod’s (1984) prescription to not worry about the outcomes that others receive in a mixed-motive situation. The first study demonstrated that people do attend and react to others’ outcomes, with people whose outcomes were of a lesser magnitude than the opponent being uncooperative and people with greater-magnitude outcomes being very cooperative. This was true even though own and other outcomes were linearly equivalent. The second study showed that dispositional envy can predict rate of cooperation and that referent cognitions theory can be applied to help alleviate the impact of differing outcomes, both by making amends for small-magnitude outcomes at the end of the game (amelioration) and by providing a reasonable explanation for why the differences in outcomes exist (justification), although the former intervention was ineffective with people with high levels of dispositional envy. Discussion focuses on the role of mental simulations in the reduction of envy effects.

Envy As Pain: Rethinking the Nature of Envy and Its Implications for Employees and Organizations

“…The envied target may then bear the consequences of such feelings. Furthermore, envious people cooperate less with advantaged colleagues when the advantage is perceived as being unjustified rather than justified (Parks, Rumble, & Posey, 2002 From an evolutionary perspective, it is more important for an organism to recognize whether another harbors ill will toward it than whether the other is competent to act on those intentions (Fiske et al, 2007). As a result, although referent cognitions concerning warmth and competence are both important, considerable evidence shows that judgments of warmth take precedence over judgments of competence (Fiske et al, 2007;Wojciszke, Bazinska, & Jaworski, 1998).…”

Is envy harmful to a society's psychological health and wellbeing? A longitudinal study of 18,000 adults

“…The third of these questions links to an emerging literature on the potential difference between 'malicious' envy and 'benign' envy (Parks, Rumble, & Posey 2002;Smith & Kim, 2007;and Van de Ven et al 2009, and recent arguments against such a distinction have been proposed…”

“…More broadly, the paper is a contribution to the existing literature on envy, which includes work in a number of sciences (Fliessbach et al, 2007;Takashi et al, 2009;Swencioncis & Fiske, 2014) and social psychology (Buss et al, 1992;Parks, Rumble, & Posey 2002;Smith & Kim 2007;Van De Ven, Zeelenberg, & Pieters, 2010;Hill, DelPriore, & Vaughan, 2011;Lange & Crusius, 2015). Research by economists includes Varian (1974), Kirchsteiger (1994), Mui (1995), Feldman & Kirman (1974), Grinblatt, Keloharju & Ikaheimo (2008, Chen &Li (2009) andWinkelmann (2012).…”

An Ungrateful Disposition: Psychometric Properties of the Dispositional Envy Scale in Brazil

“…Similarly, envy is linked to feelings of pleasure when the envied person suffers a setback, to a sense of justice relative to the disadvantaged position, even when the envy is subjective (Parks, Rumble, & Posey, 2002;Smith et al, 1994), and to feelings of ill will (e.g., hostility and resentment). Moreover, envy is also negatively associated with a sense of wellbeing (e.g., life satisfaction, happiness) (Milfont & Gouveia, 2009;Smith et al, 1999).…”