Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude – enjoying the pain and failures of others – is an all-too-famil- iar feeling. It has perplexed philosophers and psychologists for centuries but, in a time of polarised politics, twitter trolls and ‘sidebars of shame’, has never been more relevant. Recent studies have shown that we smile more at a rival’s loss than at our own success. But why can it be so much fun to witness an- other’s distress? And what, if anything, should we do about it?

In Schadenfreude, historian of emotions Tiffany Watt Smith offers expert in- sight and advice. Ranging across thinkers from Nietzsche to Homer Simpson, investigating the latest scientific research, and collecting some outrageous confessions on the way – she reveals how everyone, babies, nuns, your most trusted friends, are enjoying your misfortunes. But rather than an emotional glitch, she argues, Schadenfreude can reveal profound truths about our rela- tionships with others and our sense of who we are.

Frank, warm and laugh-out-loud funny, Schadenfreude makes the case for thinking afresh about this much-maligned emotion – and perhaps, even, em- bracing it.