How social comparisons affect the classroom

A research team from the University of Vienna is investigating how envy and schadenfreude affect the social fabric and atmosphere in the classroom. A large-scale survey of students aged 13 to 17 shows that envy is not a predominant emotion in the classroom and that it involves all genders. Initial findings point to something like a feedback loop where a bad mood evolves into malicious envy and, ultimately, bullying.