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Using a prototype approach to emotion concepts, we mapped the internal structure and content of the everyday concept of envy (as used in the United States) and its translation equivalents of envidia in Spanish and Neid in German. In Study 1 (total N = 415), the features of the concept of envy, envidia, and Neid were generated via an open‐ended questionnaire. In Study 2 (total N = 404), participants rated the degree of typicality of the constitutive features on a forced‐choice questionnaire. The prototype analysis of envy, supplemented with network analyses, revealed that the largest connected set of features of envy, envidia, and Neid shared a group of central features, including features related to success or to people with a better appearance. Still, envy, envidia, and Neid did differ with respect to their constituent peripheral features as well as the density of their networks, their structure, and the betweenness centrality of the nodes. These results suggest that a prototype approach combined with network analysis is a convenient approach for studying the internal structure of everyday emotion concepts and the degree of overlap with respect to the translation equivalents in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have long puzzled over suicidal behavior. In this paper, we posit that when people are unable to attract mates given unfavorable sex ratios, suicide rates increase. Sex ratio, the proportion of males in a population, is linked to a variety of behaviors, including marriage stability, violence, depression, and infidelity. We test whether suicide rates are associated with county-level sex ratios utilizing data from 1999 to 2018, controlling for a variety of factors known to be associated with suicide risk. We find that sex ratio is associated with suicide rates, where a greater proportion of males in a county (age 35–74) is associated with an increased rate of suicide for these males. Mediation analyses show that these effects are mediated by male marriage rates. Counter to predictions, male-biased sex ratios also tend to be associated with increased female suicide rates for women aged 35 to 74, and this effect is mediated by the unmarried sex ratio (i.e., when there are more unmarried men compared to unmarried women in a county, there is increased female suicide). Overall, these results suggest that male-biased sex ratios are associated with suicide rates for both men and women, but the mediators vary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that discussing one's romantic relationship with one's partner benefits individual wellbeing and reduces uncertainty about the future of the relationship. Implications of relationship talk with friends remain less clear, though talking with friends may actually increase uncertainty about the relationship (e.g., by making one's partner jealous of these friends), particularly for emerging adults. Relationship talk with friends may be especially likely to promote relational uncertainty for couples who are already unsatisfied in their relationships. In this study, we explored whether relationship talk with one's partner and one's friends would each be uniquely associated with depressive symptoms and uncertainty about the relationship, specifically in the form of perceived partner jealousy of one's friends and whether these associations would be moderated by relationship satisfaction. Results from a series of path models using data from 202 romantically involved emerging adults in the United States revealed that associations between relationship talk and outcomes were indeed moderated by relationship satisfaction. For example, only in unsatisfied relationships was relationship talk with friends positively associated with a partner's jealousy and negatively associated with depressive symptoms. This research expands our understanding of relationship talk by differentiating between talk with partners versus friends, while considering the contextual role of relationship satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique threats to romantic relationships as couples were issued to stay at home by a mandatory order, limiting social interactions with others. Although technology allows for social interactions, the privacy of interactions through technology may be compromised. Electronic intrusion (EI) occurs when individuals covertly gain access of their partner's mobile device to go through content (e.g., text messages, private messages on social media sites), and previous study indicates serious consequences of EI, including increased rates of intimate partner violence, depressive symptoms, and heavy episodic drinking. This study examines jealousy, relationship uncertainty (RU), and EI in a sample of American adults. We hypothesized that jealousy would be related to greater acts of EI, and that this association will be mediated by RU. Data were collected from 754 Qualtrics Panels participants (50 percent male) with an average age of 41.7 years. Most participants (85.7 percent) were married. Results supported hypotheses, demonstrating that jealousy was associated with more EI, and this was due to uncertainty about the relationship's future. This study illuminates a need to study cyberdating abuse (CDA) in older and married populations. Future research should consider the effects of other relationship-specific emotions and cognitions on EI and further develop strategies aimed at reducing risks for CDA in romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hyperperception model was used to derive hypotheses concerning the processes by which people experience romantic jealousy because of their observation of their romantic partners on social network sites. The main focus was on the receiver component of the model that specifies that when observation of others' interactions is constrained to social media, those interactions appear more intimate than when the dyad is also observable offline. A survey (N = 322) was conducted to test this component of the model and determine if the model can predict additional phenomena such as possession signals and staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were generally consistent with the hypotheses and the utility of the hyperperception model for understanding the effects of observing romantic partners' interactions on social media. The data also reveal the importance of interpersonal processes in obeying social distancing guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that violence in romantic relationships is a serious social and public health problem throughout the world among young adults. College students, as a vulnerable group, experience high rates of dating violence, irrespective of gender and nation. Yet, we still know relatively little about whether dating violence shows gender similarities or differences in different cultural settings. United States and China are both patriarchal societies but have diverse cultural background. There may be different gendered patterns of dating violence across these two countries. This study examined the gender differences in physical assault victimization and perpetration among college students in the United States and China, while controlling for dominance, jealousy, violence approval, and a number of demographic factors. Logistic regression analyses were conducted for a total of 5,631 individuals from the United States and China who participated in the International Dating Violence Study from 2001 to 2006. Results demonstrated that male and female college students in China were significantly less likely to be victims of minor physical assault compared with students in the United States. In addition, female students, both in the United States and China, were more likely to perpetrate minor and severe physical assault against their partners than male students in this sample. But Chinese females had a higher percentage of assault against their dating partners than females in the United States. This study contributes to the research on dating violence by exploring cross-cultural gender differences in both victimization and perpetration of physical violence among college students. The implications of findings and future research direction were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a mixed-methods content analysis of media articles published in top-circulating Canadian and US news outlets, we explored the transnational media construction of girls' violence. Four interconnected themes emerged. Across the Canadian and US news media, girls were depicted as sinister villains who enjoyed violence, uncivilized animals who unleashed terror, harlots fueled by jealousy and obsession, or sympathetic average Janes whose violence was not symptomatic of their character. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of the themes by country, qualitative comparisons revealed nuanced differences in the manifestation of themes. Whereas the American coverage uniquely sexualized girls, the Canadian coverage cast girls in relation to boys, either through their own manipulation of boys or through violence motivated by jealousy or obsession. Similarly, we found evidence of a more nuanced racialization of girls in the United States whereby girls of Color were constructed as uncivilized sub-humans. In contrast, the dehumanization of girls was most salient in Canadian news coverage of high-profile cases of girls' violence. We conclude with a discussion of the study's implications of findings for understanding the specificity and generalizability of media narratives related to girls' violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals high in neuroticism experience negative affect and social anxiety, therefore, they may prefer online communications where they are able to portray an idealized image of themselves to attract social support, seek validation, and enhance mood. These motivations may lead to greater social media use and addiction. In this study of Facebook users (N = 742; 474 females, 268 males) who mostly resided in the United States, we explored the association between neuroticism, Facebook addiction, and negative affect. Our mediation model showed a partial mediating effect of Facebook addiction in predicting negative affect in individuals who were high in neuroticism. In theory, individuals who use Facebook as a tool to improve their mood may actually experience more negative affect due to social overload, jealousy, and envy. Individuals high in neuroticism, who already maintain a higher negative affect than those low in neuroticism, might be particularly inclined towards increased Facebook use, which could deteriorate their mood further. Consequently, individuals and therapists should be aware of the personality traits that could lead to greater Facebook addiction and a higher negative mood. Therapists could encourage users to engage in activities, other than social media use, that can improve mood without leading to addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romance and control are often conflated by the media, and individuals may believe that certain controlling or jealous behaviors by men toward women are romantic and can be a sign of love and commitment in heterosexual relationships. The current study explored three types of romantic beliefs among women: endorsement of the ideology of romanticism, highly valuing romantic relationships, and the belief that jealousy is good. The goal was to determine whether these beliefs would be related to finding controlling behaviors romantic as well as to reported experiences of both physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV). We surveyed 275 heterosexual-identified women, aged 18 to 50, and measured their endorsement of romantic beliefs, the extent to which they romanticized controlling behavior, and experiences of physical and psychological abuse within their current or most recent romantic relationship. Romantic beliefs were related to romanticizing controlling behaviors, which, in turn, was related to experiences of IPV. There was also a significant indirect relationship between romantic beliefs and experiences of IPV. The data indicate that seemingly positive romantic ideologies can have insidious negative effects. Findings may be useful for clinicians and those who advocate for prevention of IPV as they illustrate a need to refocus traditional ideas of healthy relationships at the societal level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stepfamilies are complex structures made up of multiple relationships and family subsystems. Although this relational complexity is ripe for the development of jealousy, previous research has focused primarily on romantic relationships. This study explores parental figures' perceptions of jealousy in stepfamily relationships. Twenty-one in-depth interviews revealed four key themes: strategic framing of jealousy experiences, increased levels of uncertainty and fear, anger and wishes of ill-will toward ex-relationship partners, and the central role that children play in jealousy-related family conflicts. Coping strategies reported by participants revealed a dialectical tension between confrontation and avoidance. Implications for addressing jealousy in the stepfamily are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research examined whether perceived asymmetries in relationship commitment moderate the associations of personality traits and emotional states with enactment of hostile behavior during relationship conflicts. Participants included both members of 53 heterosexual romantic couples ( Mage = 25.5 years). Participants completed questionnaire measures assessing personality traits, emotional states, relationship commitment, and perceptions of their partner's commitment. Participants then had an observed conflict discussion with their partner, which was rated by a panel of objective observers for hostile behavior. When participants perceived that they were less committed than their partners, their enactment of hostile behavior was predicted by traits and states that are associated with antisocial and pro-social orientations (i.e., agreeableness, trait anger, chronic jealousy, and state negative emotion). In contrast, participants who perceived that they were more committed than their partners tended to refrain from hostile behavior, despite traits or states that may suggest hostile inclinations. These results suggest that perceiving that one is less committed than one's partner promotes behavioral expression of interpersonal dispositions and emotions, whereas perceiving that one is more committed than one's partner motivates inhibition of hostile behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the views of exchange students from Japan about their sojourn experiences at an American university. The participants were eight exchange students from Japan (four males and four females). This descriptive-qualitative study was conceptualized within sojourner theory (Siu, 1952). The data sources were a demographic survey and semi-structured interviews conducted during the participants' study abroad sojourn. The interview data were analyzed using constant comparative method (Merriam, 1998). The emergent themes were (a) academic frustration in ESL courses, (b) academic and social envy and jealousy, and (c) academic transition challenges. Recommendations are provided to improve international exchange students' academic and social experiences at American universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School shootings have become more common in the United States in recent years. Yet, as media portrayals of these 'rampages' shock the public, the characterisation of this violence obscures an important point: many of these crimes culminate in suicide, and they are almost universally committed by males. We examine three recent American cases, which involve suicide, to elucidate how the culture of hegemonic masculinity in the US creates a sense of aggrieved entitlement conducive to violence. This sense of entitlement simultaneously frames suicide as an appropriate, instrumental behaviour for these males to underscore their violent enactment of masculinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For this study 109 spouse/sibling/sibling-in-law triads reported the degree of envy, communication of envy, and triggers of envy experienced in the triadic system. The relationship between envy and relational satisfaction and closeness was also assessed. Envy was largely experienced differentially in each relationship type. Siblings reported more occurrences of envy than did the siblings-in-law or spouses. Spouses were more likely than siblings or siblings-in-law to use communicative responses to envy. The sibling-in-law relationship shared similarities with both spousal and sibling relationships. Relational closeness and satisfaction for all relationships in the triad were correlated. Envy was not related to relational closeness and was inversely related to relational satisfaction for siblings and spouses only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two divergent perspectives have been articulated in the literature regarding the effect that an unbalanced sex ratio is speculated to have on male-on-female intimate partner violence. Evolutionary psychology proffers that a high sex ratio (i.e., more men than women in the population) propagates competition among males for female mates. This competition for female mates is thought to engender sexual jealousy among men, which in turn results in male-on-female intimate partner violence. In contrast, the Guttentag and Secord thesis argues that a high sex ratio acts to attenuate rather than amplify male-on-female intimate partner violence because the relatively small number of women in the population makes them more highly valued and respected by men. Using data culled from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the Census, we investigate the relationship between the sex ratio and male-on-female intimate partner violence. We define male-on-female intimate partner violence as violence occurring within a marriage or boyfriend/girlfriend type relationship. Multivariate regression results furnish evidence supporting evolutionary psychology by demonstrating that a high sex ratio increases male-on-female intimate partner violence. Results also show that male-on-female intimate partner violence is higher in cities where more women work. Such a finding further buttresses the logic associated with evolutionary psychology because participation in the workforce is theorized to afford a woman a greater opportunity to meet and interact with men other than her husband or boyfriend. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses cases of domestic homicide in the U.S. prior to the Civil War, exploring its causes and implications on the social mindset of the era, particularly in regards to the emotions of anger and jealousy. The high profile case of the killing of U.S. District Attorney Philip Barton Key by New York Congressman Daniel Sickles in 1859 over an affair is examined in-depth. The role of emotions cited by the defense of the Sickles trial is highlighted and the author challenges its legitimacy through an overview of multiple additional cases of the era.

The article considers envy has a motivation for terrorist acts. Envy works on the principle that someone has something another cannot attain, causing the other to act out to destroy it, thereby levelling the inequities between the two parties. This also implies that the thing possessed has an intrinsic value. Envy arises when the gap between the two parties becomes insurmountable and its causes unjust. In the case of the United States and 9/11, the enormous economic power of the U.S. and the gap between rich and poor was seen as morally unjust by the terrorists.

The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, items from a revision of an interpersonal jealousy personality scale varying in partner--rival contact, and vignettes depicting partner--rival contact were administered to 194 female and 97 male college students in Study 1. Those measures and a measure of powerlessness, comprising the learned helplessness attribution style, were administered to 44 female and 28 male college students in Study 2. Results showed that the relation between jealousy and both loneliness and powerlessness varied as a function of the type of contact between romantic partner and rival. Loneliness and powerlessness were: (i) positively associated with jealousy for unilateral contact (e.g., a partner admiring an opposite-sex person), (ii) not associated with jealousy for bilateral contact (e.g., a partner having an opposite-sex person as a friend), and (iii) negatively associated with jealousy for mutual contact (e.g., a partner kissing an opposite-sex person). Regression analyses indicated that powerlessness mediated, in part, the relation between loneliness and jealousy. Although some sex differences were found in jealousy, those differences did not conform to the pattern expected on the basis of sex differences in powerlessness. It was proposed that lonely individuals tended to display situationally inappropriate jealousy because of their powerlessness and that tendency posed a problem for their romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines studies on gender differences in jealousy. The article states that findings of studies of gender differences related to jealousy are contradictory. In the present study, conflicting literature was addressed by distinguishing 5 dimensions of jealousy: level, trigger, experience, focus, and responses. In 4 studies, 3 in the U.S. and 1 in Israel, gender differences were explored in these 5 dimensions of romantic jealousy. Although there were no gender differences in the likelihood, frequency. duration, or intensity of jealousy, there were differences in the responses to certain jealousy-producing occasions as well as in the focus, experience, and expression of jealousy. Given the contradictory conclusions in previous studies, our goal in the present four studies was to explore gender differences in the experience and expression of jealousy and to identify the conditions under which men and women dif- fer in their reactions to various jealousy triggers.

The effect of relationship length on the perceived appropriateness and intensity of the experience and expression of romantic jealousy among American students was explored. Linear increases in perceived appropriateness and intensity of jealousy were predicted. The results largely supported the hypotheses, with jealousy experience, expression, and perceived appropriateness of jealousy expression increasing over time. However, the perceived appropriateness of jealousy experience did not vary significantly across relationship lengths. Ethnic differences in perceptions of appropriateness of jealousy experience and expression were also found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents news items on health. Dutch researchers have found that synthetic estrogen contained in combined oral contraceptives may help explain why pill users have stronger jealous responses than nonusers. Research published in "Fertility and Sterility" found that high levels of the stress biomarker alpha-amylase were associated with reduced odds of conception. Research found that herpes simplex virus infections occurred in 9.6 of every 100,000 newborns in the U.S. in 2006.

Examines jealousy in college student relationships in North Carolina. Presence, timing and sources of jealousy; Relationship between incidence of jealousy and duration of relationship.