The grass is greenest where it is watered. { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971063', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, The idea that the “ grass is always greener on other side of the fence ” is a very common one in many parts of the world. { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195467', size: [300, 250] }}, googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_ei", "grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side"); userIds: [{ I’ve said this in an earlier article too: if you want to understand human nature, look at what the wisdom traditions try to teach. 'min': 31, This is why wise men of the past have always advised people to be content with what they have. the grass is always greener other people's lives or situations always seem better than your own. { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_topslot_728x90' }}, params: { { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195466', size: [728, 90] }}, { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387232' }}, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_topslot' }}]}, name: "pubCommonId", If you’re peeking over the fence to see what’s on the other side, you’ve fallen prey to a clutter problem. A: "It just seems like they have this perfect life, always traveling and spending time together." 'increment': 1, { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '446382' }}, name: "unifiedId", iframe: { bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776140', position: 'atf' }}, var pbDesktopSlots = [ The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. The greener side can look appealing to us. To motivate us to seek what we don’t have, our minds make us believe that once we get those things, we’ll reach a perfect state of happiness and satisfaction. If these traditions teach people not to covet their neighbours’ resources, then people have a tendency to covet their neighbours’ resources. { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971080', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, storage: { defaultGdprScope: true googletag.pubads().setTargeting('cdo_alc_pr', pl_p.split(",")); In other words this means that human desire to want a better life. }); They believe they’ll be happy and satisfied when they have what they don’t currently have. { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_btmslot' }}, {code: 'ad_btmslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_btmslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_btmslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, ga('set', 'dimension3', "default"); expires: 365 It might entice us too. 'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence' expresses the idea that other people's situations always seem better than one's own. In herds when grazing, there is movement towards what seems to be greener pastures. January 18, 2021 Sarah Walton. I’ve written 280+ articles and published one book about human behavior on this blog that has garnered over 3 million views. pbjs.que.push(function() { Ancestral humans competed with other humans, not with their past selves for resources. cmpApi: 'iab', { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_topslot' }}, {code: 'ad_rightslot', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_rightslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_rightslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_leftslot' }}]}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162050', zoneId: '776336', position: 'btf' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195451', size: [300, 250] }}, iasLog("criterion : cdo_l = en"); iasLog("exclusion label : wprod"); When people come across a homeless person, they rarely feel grateful that they’re better off than them. This means a far greater number of people to compare your resources with. "sign-up": "https://dictionary.cambridge.org/auth/signup?rid=READER_ID", var mapping_topslot_b = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([746, 0], [[728, 90]]).addSize([0, 0], []).build(); { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_rightslot' }}, window.__tcfapi('addEventListener', 2, function(tcData, success) { If the resources are scarce and you want to survive, you need to have a psychological mechanism to motivate you to seek more and more. Even if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence keep to your own side. 'increment': 0.01, {code: 'ad_topslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_topslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_topslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 50], [320, 50], [320, 100]] } }, {code: 'ad_btmslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_btmslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_btmslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250], [320, 50], [300, 50]] } }, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195451', size: [320, 50] }}, { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a9690ab01717182962182bb50ce0007', pos: 'cdo_topslot_mobile_flex' }}, Carleton Noyes once said, "The human heart has ever dreamed of a fairer world than the one it knows." Precisely why you may get jealous when your neighbour buys a sports car but not when a celebrity purchases it. 'max': 8, iasLog("exclusion label : mcp"); { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_btmslot' }}]}]; { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654157' }}, When someone is not satisfied with their own lot in life and always assumes that there are better things in other places. }); The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_btmslot_300x250' }}, Share Tweet. You’ll find it difficult to compare yourself with your former self. { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654174' }}, { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654149' }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776160', position: 'atf' }}, Exploring the forces that shape the human psyche, Home » Psychological phenomena » The grass is greener syndrome (explained). For many people, this perfect state seems to be unattainable and always out of reach. 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