By Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Envy is a valid emotion. Psychologists say that it makes sense in this crisis.
According to Brittany Wong, “Vaccine Envy” is real. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people are feeling jealous that others are getting the shot and posting about it on social media. Ms. Wong says that “securing a vaccine appointment feels like the equivalent of finding a Willy Wonka golden ticket.” Yes, some people are even annoyed [that] obese people are getting the vaccine before all essential workers. Edward Goldberg, a gastroenterologist in New York, wrote, “I’ve never seen so many people happy to be told they’re obese.”
Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. Not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by their envy, but that person may also wish to inflect misfortune on others to reduce their status.
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Psychiatrist, Jessi Gold, wrote: “The vaccine is limited in availability, and anything limited is psychologically appealing to us—and culturally as well—and that innately will make us jealous and want it.”
Abigail Makepeace, a marriage and family therapist, said, “Vaccination envy isn’t malicious; it’s very human. It is a natural response to seeing others receiving an opportunity for greater safety and wanting the same opportunity for yourself.”
Krista K. Thomason [for the Inquirer] wrote that when she saw friends with huge smiles and Band-Aids on their arms, she texted a friend: “I have so much vaccine envy, I can taste it.”
Megan McCain wrote: “The fact that I, Meghan McCain, co-host of ‘The View,’ don’t know when or how I will be able to get a vaccine because the rollout for my age range and my health is so nebulous, I have no idea when and how I get it. I want to get it. If you call me at three o’clock in the morning, I will go any place at any time to get it.”
Those without a shot can suffer from “deliberate exclusion”: They’re not being invited to a wedding, a bar mitzvah, or family gathering. This resentment is NOT going to make the vaccine more available.
A 2013 Univ. of Michigan study found that the more people use Facebook during one time period, the worse they feel about their own lives. And a study out of Oxford deemed Instagram to be even more envy-inducing. Face-to-face interactions with others led people to feel better over time.
So, if you have spent the last year sequestered at home, barricaded from your friends and family, and look forward to long-awaited hugs, here’s my advice:
THERE IS a SECRET to getting a vaccine appointment and avoiding “Vaccine Envy.” Keyboard-challenged seniors, CALL YOUR YOUNG ADULT GRANDCHILDREN! They’re tech-savvy, and with their computers and smart phones, they can navigate the state’s COVID-19 vaccine websites and book you an appointment.
Yes, GRANDCHILDREN are called ‘grand’ for a reason.
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Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe’s grandson, Connor, who resides in Texas, got her an appointment for the vaccine. She traveled from Syosset to Riverhead for her Moderna shot.