Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is a German word that means “harm-joy”. It is the pleasure we feel from someone else’s misfortune, and it can come in many shades. It is the laughter we can’t stifle when someone unexpectedly falls over, or the triumphant pleasure we feel when a rival is defeated. We can also feel it when something bad happens to someone we genuinely like.

Edwina Pitman examines why, even when we’re happy and successful, we can’t help but enjoy others’ bad luck.

Contributors: Esther Walker - journalist Dr Tiffany Watt Smith - cultural historian and author of Schadenfreude: The Joy of Another’s Misfortune Professor Richard Smith - professor of psychology, University of Kentucky Dr Andre Szameitat - reader in psychology, Brunel University Anuvab Pal - Comedian Mike Wendling - Editor, BBC Trending

Presented and produced by Edwina Pitman Editor: Richard Knight

(Photo: Cheerful young woman lying on sofa with laptop in modern office lounge. Credit: Getty Images)