Why do we feel pain when jealous?

Japanese scientists have just found the brain region to control jealousy and they are stunned to find that it is the area to handle pain.

The brain area that handles physical pain glows when we are jealous.Photo: Daily Mail.

'What's interesting is that the brain area that detects physical pain controls both mental pain. It helps us explain why people feel pain when jealous , 'said Hidehiko Takahashi, a neurologist at Japan's National Institute of Radiological Science and head of research.

Experts from the institute invited 19 students who had lovers to participate in the experiment. The team asked volunteers to tell someone who has more advantages than them like wealth, success or attraction in appearance. While students tell stories, scientists take resonance scans from their brains.

The results showed that, in most students, the area of ​​pain sensing treatment in the prefrontal cortex area was strongly illuminated. These people later admitted they were jealous of the characters they told.

The team then asked the students to imagine a story in which their characters encountered unfortunate things, such as food poisoning, traffic accidents, and property loss. While they were talking, scientists continued to conduct magnetic resonance imaging. The results show that the brain area that handles the feeling of joy continues to glow.

Scientists say there is a relationship between jealousy and the feeling of joy in others' misfortune. "We have a better understanding of how the brain reacts to other people's risks," Hidehiko said.

The brain region called "schadenfreude" glows when we imagine or witness the risk of the person we envy .

The attitude of envy is not only in humans but also in many animals that live in the herd. Frans de Waal, an expert at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (US), conducted an experiment with monkeys to find out whether they were jealous or not.

He ordered a group of monkeys to harvest cucumbers in a garden. The monkeys showed excitement and worked passionately until Frans brought some grapes to one. The remaining children immediately stopped working and showed a vicious attitude. "That reaction is a sign of jealousy or objection , " Frans said.

'Jealousy not only motivates people to act foolishly, but also nibbles on our health. If you are a jealous person, you will have very little time to realize and enjoy many good things in life, 'said Richard Smith, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky (USA).