Schadenfreude, the experience of pleasure at the misfortune of others, is a very common emotion. It may seem mean-spirited, vindictive even, but if you have ever felt guilt about the satisfaction you experienced when someone else messed up, don’t be too hard on yourself.
Schadenfreude is the result of several deeply ingrained processes that the human brain spent millions of years evolving.
First and foremost, human beings are incredibly social animals. Some scientists even label us ‘ultrasocial’. We’re constantly aware of other people, our relationships with them, and, most importantly in this context, our social status.
That last one is key here; we humans are also instinctively aware of the general hierarchy, the pecking order, and our standing within it. We want to be liked, respected, looked up to, at the subconscious level. It’s a big part of how we understand our place in the world, and underlines a lot of our behaviour and motivation.
There are a lot of ways to improve your social status. You can achieve great feats of athleticism, succeed at work, have the biggest and best house, have the latest gadget, the highest score in Fortnite, and so on.
