Growing up in Michigan, my favorite sports team has always been the University of Michigan Wolverines. I can remember watching college football games on Saturdays and experiencing the highs and lows of sports. Unfortunately, as of the past two decades or so, my Michigan Wolverines have been dominated by their biggest rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, as they have won 15 of the last 16 matchups. I often face the Saturday after Thanksgiving with a mix of dread, resignation and a tiny bit of hope that maybe this will be the year that we finally beat them.
But even though my own Michigan Wolverines haven’t beaten the Buckeyes in nearly a decade, that doesn’t stop me from getting what feels like a victory every once in a while. You see, as much as I am a fan of Michigan, I’m nearly just as much a fan of the team that is playing Ohio State that same week. In fact, I would say that I experience more joy seeing Ohio State lose than I do watching Michigan win, a fact that I’m not very proud to admit.
However, I was able to understand this part of me more fully when I came across the German word schadenfreude, which is the joy that someone experiences from seeing someone else in pain. Apparently, this feeling of wanting to see others in pain is so common that the Germans made up a word for it!
What do we know about schadenfreude?
Well, it seems that there are three basic categories of it. The first category is the feeling of aggression from members of one group toward members of a different group, which is the schadenfreude I experience toward Ohio State (and is probably equally experienced amongst Ole Miss and Mississippi State fans with each other).
The second type is a feeling of schadenfreude toward someone who has done something that sets them above you. Maybe your coworker who always seems to get the best reviews from his presentations finally gives a horrible presentation, or your neighbor who seems to have lived the perfectly charmed life finally gets some bad news.
The final form of schadenfreude is a justice based one. It’s the feeling of joy when you see someone get the penalty they deserve for their horrible actions. It’s the euphoria Americans felt when Osama bin Laden was finally killed. Check the Facebook comments on any article about a murder of an innocent person, and you’ll see lots of this type of schadenfreude.
Research has found that nearly all people experience schadenfreude at some point in their lives (just think of any sibling hoping that their brother or sister gets a spanking for doing something), but that those who experience it the most tend to have lower levels of self-esteem. This isn’t shocking, as we like to see people get knocked down a level when we deem them having too much success (who else celebrated when Alabama lost to Texas A&M?), and so logically those who feel lower about themselves feel schadenfreude more frequently.
But while it is a normal emotion, I think that most people recognize that schadenfreude is not among the best attributes that humans possess. So, if you frequently notice yourself feeling joyful at other people’s downfall, take note that that might be a sign of your own struggle with self-esteem.
Because while it is great to see Ohio State lose, the happiness I feel is only temporary, and the hopelessness returns as long as I continue to put stock in my Wolverines beating them in November.
- Mischa McCray is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Send questions or topics you’d like him to discuss to mmccray@wpcgreenwood.org.
