Although many consider the feeling shameful, researchers say it is relatively common and can be observed even in subtle, unconscious reactions.

Few languages have a precise term for it, the best known being the German word Schadenfreude.

“Schadenfreude occurs when something undesirable or even unpleasant happens to a person (e.g. a cancelled flight or the death of a relative), which another person perceives as deserved because they feel resentment or resentment towards that person,” said Karolina Dyduch-Hazar, PhD, a researcher at the University of Würzburg who studies the psychology of aggression and retaliatory behaviour.

“The experience of Schadenfreude temporarily improves our well-being and gives us a sense of illusory control. It also strengthens faith in a just world, i.e. one in which people get what they deserve,” she added.

Dyduch-Hazar said the phenomenon is particularly visible in situations of rivalry and conflict. “Numerous studies have shown that Schadenfreude occurs much more easily when we are competing with someone,” she said. “Empathic reactions to the suffering of others during competition are usually weaker or even completely absent.”

The study captured this reaction experimentally by observing emotional and physiological responses during a competitive task. Participants competed against an opponent in a simple computer-based game that involved pressing a mouse button at the right moment. The outcome was predetermined so that each participant lost half of the rounds.

After losing, participants were punished with an unpleasant sound that was allegedly chosen by their opponent. Some opponents behaved provocatively by selecting louder sounds, while others selected weaker ones. When the participant later won, the computer appeared to select a sound for the opponent, and the participant watched a short video showing the opponent’s reaction.

In the videos, the opponent either showed visible signs of pain, such as a grimace, closed eyes and a tense face, or showed no reaction at all.

Dyduch-Hazar and her team measured participants’ facial muscle activity using facial electromyography, a method that records electrical signals from muscles during contraction and rest. This allowed the researchers to capture spontaneous and unconscious emotional reactions, including smiling and frowning.

“Participants smiled more when they saw a noise-induced pain reaction from a provocative opponent, compared to when the opponent remained calm,” Dyduch-Hazar said. “These results suggest that the key to the emergence of satisfaction from a rival’s misfortune or failure was the perception of their suffering.”

Self-report surveys conducted as part of the study showed that participants felt genuinely provoked by the opponents who had previously punished them with louder sounds. Respondents reported greater anger and arousal, as well as a lower sense of justice and dominance, conditions that researchers say are conducive to Schadenfreude.

By contrast, when participants watched a non-provocative opponent show signs of pain, they tended to display facial expressions associated with dissatisfaction rather than pleasure.

“This negative reaction may indicate sympathy for this opponent or empathy for their undeserved pain,” Dyduch-Hazar said. “However, it is worth noting that in the task, non-provocative opponents were also rivals, although probably more liked than provocative opponents. The empathetic reaction therefore suggests that it is not the competitive nature of the task itself, but rather anger towards a given rival that causes negative reactions.”

Dyduch-Hazar added that Schadenfreude is not limited to individual competition and can also appear in broader social conflicts. “This feeling also appears during intergroup conflicts, when we divide people into ‘us’ and ‘them’,” she said. “Schadenfreude brings temporary relief during a prolonged conflict, but also motivates group members to further violence.”

PAP - Science in Poland, Ewelina Krajczyńska-Wujec (PAP)

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