How Our Brains Reward Us When We See Someone Fail

Schadenfreude is enjoyment that’s derived from another person’s misfortune. It’s a complicated emotional response which feels good, but how much should it govern our decision making?

Schadenfreude manifests more strongly when we perceive people deserve their misfortunes or when misfortunes happen to people who are widely disliked, and an also manifest in less desirable social conditions, like envy. Researchers found that when a subject felt that a person was superior and important, stronger envy and stronger anterior cingulate cortex activation was seen. Also, stronger schadenfreude and striatum activation were induced when misfortunes happened to an envied target. So, schadenfreude pops up in our brains whenever someone we perceive has higher status than us, or people we don’t like, gets knocked down a peg or 20.