Why We Resent the More Successful
When someone succeeds, is your first reaction "He probably just had rich parents"? Psychology calls this resentment of the rich — and at its root lies not money, but a sense of powerlessness.
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When someone succeeds, is your first reaction "He probably just had rich parents"? Psychology calls this resentment of the rich — and at its root lies not money, but a sense of powerlessness.
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Have you ever quietly thought to yourself: "All rich people are frauds"?
Or, when someone else succeeds, is your first reaction: "He probably just had rich parents."
This subtle, complicated state of mind is what psychology calls "resentment towards the rich".
It is not simply "envy". It is a moral defence mechanism that arises out of social comparison——when people feel stripped of power and resources, they protect their inner self-esteem by disparaging those who have succeeded (Feather, 1999).
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, in The Gay Science, observed that the weak often dress up their own powerlessness in moral terms, turning what they cannot obtain into a "virtue" (Nietzsche, 1882/2001).
For example:
These reframings are not entirely wrong, but if a person leans too heavily on a "sense of moral superiority", it can leave them stranded in the "comfort zone of the victim"——no longer thinking about how to genuinely change their circumstances. Nietzsche called this phenomenon "the morality of resentment" (ressentiment morality), a psychological defence that elevates one's own sense of worth by belittling the strong.
In other words, the root of resenting the rich lies not in "money", but in an "imbalance in one's sense of power".
The social psychologist Festinger (1954) noted long ago that humans have an innate tendency towards social comparison. When we measure ourselves against people who are more successful than us, a lack of security can give rise to an "upward comparison threat", leaving our self-esteem damaged (Smith et al., 2018).
And so belittling others becomes one way of restoring psychological balance——"He may be rich, but he can't possibly be happy".
A 2025 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people of higher social status are actually better able to be authentic (Kakkar et al., 2025).
The study, titled The Privilege to Be Yourself Depends on What Others Think of You, found that those of higher status can express their true thoughts more freely in social conversation, because their "risk of not being accepted" is lower. Those of lower status, by contrast, often have to fall in with others and suppress their true selves in order to keep their chances of getting by.
This chimes with Nietzsche's own observation——power lets people be more free and more authentic; powerlessness makes people more likely to put on a front.
The essence of resentment towards the rich is, in fact, a rebellion against being "constrained". But if all we do is dwell on comparison and resentment, we will end up trapped in passivity. As Nietzsche once said: "Become who you are" is an active way of living.
Mapped onto modern psychology, this can be understood as an "internal locus of control"——people who believe they can influence their own fate show more drive and a greater sense of wellbeing (Rotter, 1966).
So rather than resenting the rich, it is better to ask yourself:
When we have enough ability and resources, authenticity and freedom finally have room to grow. This is the root of "not resenting the rich"——because you no longer need comparison to define yourself.
Resenting the rich is not wrong. It is part of being human, a natural response to unfairness.
But real transformation lies not in making the world "fairer", but in making yourself "more powerful".
Nietzsche and modern psychology both remind us:
The moment you stop protecting your self-esteem by belittling others, and instead cultivate your own strength and authenticity, you are no longer one of the weak.
When we feel anxious or aggrieved by another person's success, what truly needs to be understood is the powerlessness of being compared.
Through the MindForest App, you can see the psychological needs behind these emotions, and learn to free yourself from comparison.
1️⃣ Awareness Stage — ForestMind AI Helps You Understand the Roots of Your Emotions
When anxiety and insecurity surface, AI helps you explore those genuine feelings of longing for freedom and dignity.
2️⃣ Release Stage — Let the Insight Journal Turn Comparison into an Opportunity for Awareness
Honestly recording envy and longing lets emotion become a starting point for self-understanding, rather than a shackle of self-blame.
3️⃣ Growth Stage — Psychological Assessments Rebuild Your Map of Self-Worth
Through assessment you come to understand the sources of your self-esteem and security, and learn to replace defensiveness with authenticity and strength.
? Download the MindForest App now and begin your journey towards inner freedom.
☁️ You can also try the web version.
References
Feather, N. T. (1999). Values, achievement, and justice: Studies in the psychology of deservingness. Springer.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.
Kakkar, H., Tang, C., & Anicich, E. M. (2025). The privilege to be yourself depends on what others think of you: Social status increases authenticity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Nietzsche, F. (2001). The gay science (J. Nauckhoff, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1882)
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80(1), 1–28.
Smith, R. H., Parrott, W. G., Diener, E. F., Hoyle, R. H., & Kim, S. H. (2018). Envy and its relation to social comparison. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(1), 136–152.
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