The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.

Pettiness keeps a person busy. Tracking slights, measuring what others have, needing to win small contests: all of it produces a constant low agitation that never quite settles. A larger outlook, less concerned with status and score-keeping, tends to bring a steadier mind as a side effect. Sorting people into superior and inferior kinds is not the useful part, and distress often has causes that have nothing to do with character.

Notice which of your recurring irritations involve comparison or keeping score. Try letting one of them go unrecorded for a week, and see whether some of the background noise goes with it.