There are again vacancies for ("mandatory") internships in various projects of our working group. In addition, there is the possibility for psychology students to write their Master's thesis in the project on "Envy and Schadenfreude in the School Context".


Envy is commonly regarded as a malignant emotion, rightly condemned as a deadly sin in biblical scriptures. However, findings from current research challenge the view that envy is inherently evil.

The findings suggest that envy arises when one compares oneself to a person who has desirable qualities, achievements or possessions, leading one to want to make up for the differences between oneself and that higher standard. Considering this observation suggests that envy contributes to the regulation of social hierarchies.

Dr. Jens Lange has been working intensively on the emotion of envy for several years. In the course of a joint exchange with our project team, he will come to Vienna on 15.05.2023 and give a guest lecture for us on this often misunderstood emotion and shed light on it from a different perspective.