American and Dutch psychologists examined the emotion of schadenfreude and determined the pros and cons of this emotion in terms of a person’s mood. Research on this topic has been published in the scientific journals European Review of Social Psychology (ERSP) and New Ideas in Psychology (NIP).
Although being happy about other people’s problems is considered socially undesirable, scientists have found that in some cases this feeling can be justified.
According to experts, schadenfreude is linked to aggression, competition and fairness. That is, this emotion arises from the need to compare us with others, to draw boundaries between our own group and those who dislike us, to desire social justice and to take satisfaction in the punishment of those who violate it.
From this perspective, schadenfreude acts as a psychological shield against feelings of inferiority and reminds us that we are not alone in our flaws. It helps us deal with feelings of self-doubt by emphasizing that others also have their moments of weakness.
However, psychologists warn against taking pleasure in other people’s problems. This depletes empathy reserves and can make it difficult to understand the emotions of others, as well as disrupting one’s moral compass and encouraging one to take advantage of the plight of others.
According to experts, to tame schadenfreude, you need to ask yourself each time what caused this feeling in you – satisfaction with the fulfillment of justice or the desire to increase self-esteem at the expense of another person’s misfortunes. Questions like these will help develop emotional intelligence and respond to events more thoughtfully.
Previous scientists I learnedhow far women are willing to go out of jealousy and jealousy.