Why Do People Like To Talk About Other People’s Success?

November 4th, 2023

Translated by: PO

Editor : PO/Editorial

Why Do People Like To Talk About Other People’s Success?

Risdiana Wiryatni’s notes

In everyday interactions, we often hear slanted or sarcastic remarks about someone’s success.Why does someone like to criticize other people’s success? Why?

As the famous expression goes: “Shirk is a sign of inability”.

This can be the simplest way to explain why someone has a tendency to criticize the success of others.In people’s lives, sometimes there is invisible pressure to be successful. Usually, success is measured by a person’s success in running a business. Or measured by how much someone’s wealth is. In fact, wealth does not guarantee someone’s happiness.

This pressure of success sometimes makes people feel like they are in a race to be at the forefront.So, what happens if someone seems to be far ahead of you in the race?You were even more excited to be in the same position as him.You feel annoyed because you can’t be in the same position as him.

Not care. :

If the second happens, thoughts will usually emerge that try to justify why you are “left behind”. Examples include:

“Ah, he sure has a lot of privileges. That’s why he was able to succeed quickly.”

“Maybe he’s cheating.”

“Maybe he’s just pretending to be successful. He must be hiding his ugliness.”

“Ah, he’s not successful in a cool field. Therefore, I cannot consider him successful.”

“Ich, I can do it too if it’s just like that.” (Can’t prove this claim though).

Everything shows that there is an error in processing feelings of insecurity within oneself due to being “left behind” in the race for success. Putting other people down is felt necessary to make oneself feel calmer in taking part in this competition. That’s what causes someone to say bad things about other people’s success.

However, the important point is: life is not a competition. Every person has a different definition of success. There is no standard age or amount of wealth that you must follow in order to become a successful person. It is constant and persistent struggle that will actually bring you closer to your own version of success.

One prayer that many people may say is the prayer to be kept away from people who are easily jealous. The reason is, being close to someone who is always jealous of every achievement is torture

Being in a circle that always forces you to complain by using words for jealous people is really unpleasant. Apart from creating a negative atmosphere, too often posting words about envious people as sarcasm via social media also makes your self-image less good.

“Don’t lose your self-confidence, just because of comments from small souls who are jealous of the goodness of your life.”

*) Owner Group Performance and Management Strategy