Si la envidia fuera tiña... Los refranes, cultura y envidia en el contexto urbano
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study explores envy in the Mexican urban context, using popular proverbs as a cultural lens to analyze how envy is experienced and regulated. It reviews different anthropological perspectives on emotions, contrasting approaches that emphasize the culture with those focused on the individual. Drawing on literature about emotions, envy, and proverbs, the research is based on a questionnaire applied to 690 residents of various urban areas. The results are organized into nine categories, revealing how popular culture conceptualizes and regulates this emotion. Findings show that envy is perceived as a negative, destructive feeling associated with social comparison and desire for what belongs to others. Proverbs function as mechanisms of social control, reinforce norms, promote emotional self-regulation, prevent conflicts, and offer strategies for resistance and adaptation. The study concludes that proverbs are a valuable cultural tool for understanding and managing this complex emotion in the changing urban landscape.
Source: Narrativas Antropológicas
Author: Aguilar Medina, José Iñigo
Language: Spanish
Topic: History of Emotions Research
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7219390000