On coasts around the world, fishermen fill their buckets with crabs and leave them unattended while they catch more. These fishermen are not worried about the crabs escaping.

The crabs police themselves, dragging any would-be escapees into the bucket.

This self-sabotaging behavior is called the crab mentality or the Cancer in Aquarius mentality, and we can apply it to human behavior as well. Why does cancer behave this way?

What is the crab mentality?

It seems counterintuitive that any animal could cause not only its own death, but the death of its species as well. But there is a strange twist to this suspicious story.

If there is only one crab in the bucket, it will keep trying to crawl out of the bucket until it finally succeeds. Only when there are many crabs in the bucket does the crab’s behavior change.

Before I talk about how this relates to humans, I want to get to the bottom of this weird cancer mentality.

First, it is important to realize that cancers do not develop in buckets. Crabs live where the sea meets the shore, in places such as shallow pools and slippery rocks. These are rapidly changing environments. Waves crash on the rocks and crabs cling to each other to prevent themselves from being swept out to sea.

The crabs react as they normally would. Clinging to each other is a survival mechanism that occurs when they are threatened. So the crab mentality in the animal world is just an evolutionary response to the surrounding environment.

Now, how does the crab bucket mentality manifest itself in human behavior?

Learning about the crab mentality in human behavior

“You can’t disappoint a man without staying with him.” – Booker T. Washington

The crab mentality is a self-sabotaging behavior, best described as “If I can’t have it, neither can you.” The crab mentality is not only counterproductive but also destructive. Recognizing when it occurs is the first step to avoiding it.

You can’t be more successful than me

If we use the crab bucket mentality, we can see that some people cannot enjoy someone else’s success. Like the Cancers in Aquarius, they like to pull others down to their level.

However, it’s a little more complicated than that. Some neuroscientists believe that humans are hardwired to fear loss far more than they strive for success.

This is called loss aversion.

“The deepest connection to this crab mentality is called loss aversion. It is the fact that in our brains we are programmed to avoid loss, twice as much as we are to obtain a reward.” Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart

An easy way to understand loss aversion is an example:

Gaining £100 is less than losing £100. We feel worse when we lose than when we win. Humans don’t like losses, so we try to avoid them.
So, if we don’t like losing, wouldn’t that make us more susceptible to someone else’s success? Obviously not. This is because when someone else succeeds, it takes away part of our success and creates a sense of loss for us.

As such, although it may seem paradoxical, we would rather everyone lose than just ourselves. It’s really a case of “if I can’t have it, you can’t have it either.”

I’m not good enough to be successful

Just as crabs sabotage their own survival plans, so humans can sabotage their success. This stems from imposter syndrome, where you feel as if you’re not good enough.

Your parents probably underestimated you when you were a child. Maybe your current partner is undermining your self-confidence. It is possible that you are in a coercive and controlling relationship and that your self-confidence has diminished over the years.

Whatever the reason for your lack of self-confidence, it can manifest itself in this self-sabotaging behavior. You’re worried you’ll eventually get caught, so why bother in the first place?

Whether you feel like you don’t deserve to be happy, successful, rich, achieve your goals, or simply don’t want to stand out from the crowd, you’re acting like a cancer in a bucket.

You didn’t earn your success

Getting that promotion or being able to buy a new car or house is exciting, right? But do you sometimes feel that not everyone in your family or circle of friends is happy with you?

Do you feel that it is not just a case of jealousy? It’s like they don’t acknowledge all your hard work and effort. They say things were always easy, that school and college were so easy for you and you never had to struggle the way they did.

The family always insists that you are the favorite and infers that you have an advantage in the house. It makes you feel as if you have this invisible privilege that gives you a step up that you never knew you had.

Dropping someone or pulling them back keeps everyone on a level playing field. In Eastern philosophy there is a saying, “The nail that sticks must be hammered in.” One way to do this is to make the nail protrude to hammer itself.

4 Ways to Stop the Crab Mentality from Ruining Your Life

1. Don’t compare your life to others
   It’s hard when everyone is bragging on social media about how great their lives are. You may feel that you are not beautiful enough, or that your life is not interesting compared to your friends.

But social media is not a true reflection of our society. This is what these people want you to believe their lives are like. Each selfie is filtered, so it no longer resembles the person.

Each meal photo has been carefully curated to present the kind of lifestyle that inspires envy. Don’t be fooled by false representations. Live your life the way you want.

2. Be grateful for the things you have
   I’m a big fan of being grateful for the little things we have. I know it sounds cheesy, but having your health, a roof over your head, and food in the fridge is a blessing these days.

If you’re jealous of a friend’s new car, I urge you to watch news coverage of refugees in Syria. If you’re not happy with your life, look up some crime documentaries where parents of murdered children talk about the moment the police arrived and their world changed forever.

Animals suffer unspeakable cruelty; Bears on bile farms, mink on fur farms, chickens on factory farms. Children are trafficked into child sexual exploitation networks. You know your life isn’t so bad, right?

3. Focus on your own goals
   Just because others are successful doesn’t mean you can’t be too. But if you develop an envious and bitter nature towards the successful people around you, it only creates negative energy.

It is better to work on achieving your dreams and goals. Why consider other people’s dreams your business anyway? Remember, you never know what difficulties successful people go through.

4. Success breeds success
   Surrounding yourself with successful people helps you in the end. Positive energy opens opportunities. Positive people attract people. By supporting your successful friend or family member, you enjoy the influence of their aura.

Moreover, you will be overwhelmed by their success. You will benefit from having happy and successful friends and family. how? Your sister who just bought this amazing vacation inn on the coast lets you rent it every summer for a cheaper rate.

Your cousin who has a great job knows someone who can get you your own office space in the city. But it’s not just about financial benefit. Have you ever noticed how your mood is affected by the people around you? If someone is down, your mood may suffer immediately. So it really matters who you spend your time with.

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn sums it up beautifully:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

By constantly belittling others, you create an atmosphere of negative energy. Instead, be deliberate and consciously lift people up to success.