‘Frienvy’ or ‘the feeling of want or need for something or someone that a friend might have’*, can have an upside according to research revealed today. With over 65% of Brits admitting ‘frienvy’ has spurred them on in life and even led them to lose weight and be more positive.  Men admitted ‘frienvy’ even made them try harder at work and women admitted it pushed them to make the most of every opportunity.

We asked more than 2,000 people about it and found that one in three Brits admit to feeling ‘frienvy’ at least once a week and on average, feel frienvious of three friends overall. Women have revealed that they are most ‘frienvious’ of their friend’s holidays, whereas men are most ‘frienvious’ of their mate’s salary.

Brits also admit to copying their friend’s best ideas due to ‘frienvy’, with women most likely to copy their friend’s fabulous new clothes and men, more interested in making people laugh by copying their mate’s best jokes.

Top 10 Female Frienvies

1. Holidays
2. Figure
3. Attractiveness
4. New job
5. Salary
6. Social  life
7. Relationship with partner
8. Friendship with others
9. New house
10. Fact that they have lost weight

Top 10 Male Frienvies

1. Salary
2. New job
3. Holidays
4. New car
5. Relationship with their partner
6. New house
7. Social life
8. Attractiveness
9. Friendship with others
10. Popularity with the opposite sex

Donna Dawson a psychologist specialising in Personality and Behaviour explains:

“Although experiencing ‘frienvy’ can reveal us as being somewhat insecure, we can use this seemingly negative emotion to spur us on to take more positive actions for ourselves. For example, being envious of a friend’s figure or attractiveness can motivate us to try harder in a diet or exercise plan; while yearning to experience a friend’s holiday can inspire us to save more, plan better or to work harder.

“Admiring rather than resenting our friends for certain traits, possessions or activities not only gives us goals to work towards, but also serves as an ego-boosting reminder of our ability to attract great friends!”

With social media now playing a regular part in Brits’ daily lives, it is no wonder that 62% look to the likes of Facebook and Twitter to see what their friends have been up to, with over a third of women and a quarter of men admitting to checking up on their mates they are ‘frienvious’ of at least once a week.

While the research suggests the nation is very aware of ‘frienvy’, it also suggests they would rather hide it than let friends know, despite the fact 1 in 4 people would be flattered, and half agree it wouldn’t make a difference in their friendship.

Mark Jones explains: ‘We often get groups of friends at Mecca Bingo and we have always believed a bit of healthy competition is good. We wanted to see if this spans out across everyday life and it’s great to see that ‘frienvy’ inspires us to make positive changes in our lives.’

While 17% of Brits have admitted that a good dress sense and attractiveness is a quality they would look for in a friend, the top qualities are:

• Good listener/supportive
• Fun
• Sociable
• Funny
• Intelligent

*Source: Urban Dictionary