The essayist Joseph Epstein writes, "Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all."

There's plenty of research to back up Epstein's statement. Psychologists have found that envy decreases life satisfaction and depresses well-being. Envy is positively correlated with depression and neuroticism, and the hostility it breeds may actually make us sick. Recent work suggests that envy can help explain our complicated relationship with social media: it often leads to destructive "social comparison," which decreases happiness.

Epstein goes on to say that envy makes us look "ungenerous, mean, [and] small-hearted." No wonder nobody wants to own up to this unhappy sin!