6 Minute English / Do you get jealous easily?

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I m Sam.

And I m Neil.

Your friend, Alicia, phoned and left you a message for you, Neil. She s sorry but she has to cancel lunch today. I think she s going with Jenny, instead.

That s the third time this week they ve had lunch together! Are they best friends now?

It sounds like Neil has a case of the green-eyed monster, in other words, jealousy the fear that someone else may take something you think is yours. Humans have struggled with jealousy for thousands of years. Jealousy damages friendships, destroys relationships, and can even become a motive for murder.

In this programme, we ll discuss jealousy to find out happens when the green-eyed monster raises its ugly head. And, as usual, we ll be learning some useful new vocabulary. Meanwhile, my friend Alicia will be having lunch with Jenny instead of me

Feeling jealous is no fun. Maybe this question will take your mind off it. The expression the green-eyed monster comes from a speech in one of William Shakespeare s most famous plays, but which one? Is it:a) Romeo and Juliet?b) Hamlet? or,c) Othello?

I think the answer is Othello.

OK, Neil. I ll reveal the answer later in the programme. For many people, feelings of jealousy occur in romantic relationships. Here psychologist, Dr Alex Mielke,explains whyto BBC World Service programme, CrowdScience.