The emotion of jealousy arises from an injury to self-esteem. This individual personal origin makes jealousy ubiquitous across cultures. At the same time, specific social mores define the conditions under which jealousy appears, making

for dramatic cross-cultural differences. Abundant and colorful examples of various manifestations of jealousy are given. Since, according to the authors, only sixteen percent of the world's population is monogamous, the threat of sexual infidelity in a couple relationship is not the most common occasion for jealousy.