It's just people being wired to compare their lives with other's. Humans evolved in small groups with hierarchies where your "rank" compared to others could mea

It's just people being wired to compare their lives with other's. Humans evolved in small groups with hierarchies where your "rank" compared to others could mean the difference between life and death. Not so much these days, but the habit is still there. Luckily, we also evolved big brains that let us override almost any instinct and with a bit of effort we can be perfectly happy with any slice of the pie. P.S. I'm somebody that gave up a large fraction of my salary to be able to work part time and travel the country. It's been worth it so far.