The grass is always greener: Envy in social anxiety disorder

•We examined envy in social anxiety disorder and its role in maintaining the disorder.•We used an experience sampling procedure to measure emotions and contexts for 21 days.•Individuals with SAD experienced more envy than non-socially-anxious (NSA) individuals.•For individuals with SAD, visual mediums of communication resulted in elevated envy.•Envy predicted anxiety above and beyond previous anxiety and other negative emotions. In the present study we examined envy in social anxiety disorder (SAD) and its potential role in maintaining the disorder. In addition, we examined social contexts and modes of communication that may serve as moderators of envy in SAD, and the temporal relationship between envy and anxiety in the disorder. Our sample included 88 individuals (44 with SAD and 44 without SAD) who underwent an experience sampling procedure in which participants received daily measures of emotions for 21 days. Using multilevel linear modeling we found that individuals with SAD experienced elevated envy compared to individuals without SAD and this was enhanced in social (compared to non-social) contexts. For individuals with SAD, visual modes of communication were associated with elevated envy compared to voice/text communication. Finally, envy predicted subsequent anxiety above and beyond previous anxiety and additional negative emotions. The role of envy in the psychopathology and maintenance of SAD, as well as clinical implications are discussed.