RESEARCH_FILE
Richard H. Smith
University of Kentucky
Known for:Research on envy, schadenfreude, and social comparison — including the finding that perceived similarity to a successful target amplifies envy, explaining why peers and friends are more likely to feel threatened by each other's success
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“If I succeed, I'll lose my friends”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“A friendship that needs me smaller is costing more than I want to pay.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Choose one recent win, type it into a notes app exactly as it happened, and leave it on screen for five minutes without adding a softener, explanation, or apology.
Key findings
- 2000
Demonstrated that perceived similarity between the envious person and the envied target is a key amplifier of envy — the more alike we are to someone who succeeds where we also strive, the more painful and threatening the comparison becomes, directly explaining why tall-poppy cutting is concentrated in peer and friend groups rather than among strangers. Envy and Schadenfreude ↗