Mind and Body

What happens to your body when you get jealous

Young couple holding glasses with champagne and woman looking at them, outdoors, focus on woman with blond hair


We're probably all hardwired for jealousy; even babies and dogs feel it. Not to be confused with envy, which is about coveting what someone else has (e.g., a fab house), jealousy is about protecting what's yours—or what you think is yours. It frequently involves a me-you-her romantic triangle and often crops up at the start of a relationship.

The Mind Game

It might not be a "jealousy center," but scientists suspect the brain's left frontal cortex, which deals in emotions like shame, is involved.

Another key player is your noggin's dopamine system; it regulates the chemical associated with happiness or reward.

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Spurred by the above are the three types of jealousy:

Reactive jealousy happens after your mate has actually deceived you. You know he strayed and feel PO'ed, anxious, or sad. (Ditto if, for example, you caught your BFF out with a fun new friend.)



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The Body Blow

Jealousy might also kick-start the body's stress response. Enter an overflow of stress hormones, spiked blood pressure, and an increased heart rate.

The End Results

Except for any delusion, these reactions could be. . .good for you. Researchers believe that jealousy evolved in humans to motivate people to protect the unions that would help them survive. (Hence, jealousy is often followed by aggression.)


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