“So You Wanna Be a Pop Star?”: Schadenfreude Following Another's Misfortune on TV

Abstract

In this experiment we demonstrate that low self-evaluation individuals experience more schadenfreude following an unfavorable performance of a contestant on a TV show after receiving negative feedback on a self-relevant task, as compared with those who received positive feedback. Moreover, we show that high self-evaluation individuals do not differ in their experience of schadenfreude as a function of feedback. These findings corroborate our argument that in a “double whammy” condition (i.e., low self-evaluation and induced self-threat), individuals will be more motivated to restore their self-worth and, consequently, experience more pleasure at the misfortunes of others.

Notes

¹The number of Dutch viewers reached a peak of 3.1 million in 2004, which corresponds to a market share of 42% (Stichting Kij Onderzoek, 2010).

²We used the term “leedvermaak,” which is the Dutch word for schadenfreude.