The impact of deservingness on schadenfreude and sympathy: further evidence.
The authors tested the hypothesis that people experience less schadenfreude and more sympathy toward high achievers with deserved achievements who suffer misfortunes as opposed to those with undeserved achievements. The results support the hypothesis and show that this effect is mediated by the perceived deservingness of the misfortune.
Van Dijk
Wilco W
WW
Department of Social Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ww.van.dijk@psy.vu.nl
Ouwerkerk
Jaap W
JW
Goslinga
Sjoerd
S
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D003469:Culture; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007578:Jealousy; D008297:Male; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult