Why being jealous is good for you

I may be getting married to him, but yo, if a complete stranger girl likes his photos on Instagram, I immediately see green.

Bright green. Out of jealousy, of course. And yes, then all hell breaks loose.

“WHO IS THAT?”

Okay, it makes no sense, it’s about nothing and yet it is so. But actually being jealous isn’t so bad. Ha. Because it shows that you really care about someone. That you love someone. Yes, even if sometimes you have to deal with it yourself. Because in the end, you are the one who suffers the most from all those jealous thoughts.

And the funny thing is that you create it yourself, because more often than not, there’s really nothing going on. It’s just your own fears that you express that way. Suppose your girlfriend always goes on vacation with you to Cannes. Suddenly she goes to Cannes again, but with another girlfriend. Ouch. That stings. That’s ‘your’ thing. Nonsense of course, because you can’t claim a city and you can’t forbid her from going away for a weekend with another girlfriend. But this kind of jealousy runs deeper. Actually, you’re afraid that she’s having more fun with the other one, that she forgets you and that your friendship fades. That sounds exaggerated, but that’s how jealousy works.

Jealousy always stems from exaggeration. That like on that photo of my boyfriend? Then I immediately think something like this:

1. She’s after him.

2. She thinks he’s handsome

3. She wants him.

4. She’s definitely going to text him.

5. And she probably wants to meet up with him.

6. And she wants him to cheat. With her.

7. And she probably wants to marry him too.

Now you might think: just be completely normal. But guys, girls, surprise: jealousy is human. Being jealous is very common and everyone deals with it in their own way. Whether it’s about exes, girlfriends doing fun things with other girlfriends, or just about stuff (read: Chanel bags that your girlfriend has lying around that you can only dream of).

You always think that someone else has it better, you want something that someone else has. That one girlfriend has such smooth skin. The other has such a cool job. Your sister goes super often goes on vacation.. You want that too. But the positive side of being jealous is that it’s mainly a driving force. It motivates you to work harder for something you really want. It’s a boost for your own strength. Because of this, you mainly think: okay, I want that too, so I’m going for it. And I’m going to work for it. Bring it on, world. She has that cool job, then I want one that’s at least as cool.

So don't worry about that green monster. It keeps you going.

FACTS

• We are all more jealous when we’ve had some alcohol.
• Men and women are equally jealous.
• What are most people jealous of? Of your partner’s ex.