Envy

Envy (from Latin invidia) is an emotion which "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it".

Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. Not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by his or her envy, but that person also wishes to inflict misfortune on others. Although envy is generally seen as something negative, Russell also believed that envy was a driving force behind the movement towards democracy and must be endured to achieve a more just social system. However, psychologists have recently suggested that there may be two types of envy: malicious envy and benign envy—benign envy being proposed as a type of positive motivational force.

Socioevolutionary view

One theory that helps to explain envy and its effects on human behavior is the Socioevolutionary theory. Based upon (Charles) Darwin's (1859) theory of evolution through natural selection, socioevolutionary theory predicts that humans behave in ways that enhance individual survival and also the reproduction of their genes. Thus, this theory provides a framework for understanding social behavior and experiences, such as the experience and expression of envy, as rooted in biological drives for survival and procreation. Recent studies have demonstrated that inciting envy actually changes cognitive function, boosting mental persistence and memory.

Envious (song)

"Envious" is the debut solo single by R&B singer-songwriter Dawn Robinson. (All Robinson’s previous singles had been recorded and released during her membership in En Vogue and Lucy Pearl.) The song was written Robinson, Kowan "Q" Paul, Milton Davis, and Amber Jade Young, produced by Kowan Paul. The song was composed for Robinson's debut solo album, Dawn. Atlantic Records released "Envious" on November 20, 2001, as the album's lead single.

Music video

The music video opens with Dawn in a dark area with a small crowd of people around her she sings the first verse to them. As the chorus starts the lights come on and it shows thousands of people around Dawn. The people stand and join hands to make a tunnel which Dawn crawls through as she sings the second verse. She is then seen wearing a red dress and crawling up a huge wall of men, she then spray paints a heart on one of the men's chest. Dawn then falls from the wall and is caught by the crowd below and her clothes suddenly change to a black jacket, T-shirt and leather trousers. Dawn and the crowd then dance until the song fades out.