title: Towards understanding pleasure at the misfortunes of others: the impact of self-evaluation threat on schadenfreude.
abstract: In two experiments we demonstrated that a self-evaluation threat intensifies schadenfreude. Moreover, we showed that a self-evaluation threat predicts schadenfreude in both threat-related and threat-unrelated domains and when controlling for feelings of envy and dislike towards the target and evaluations of the misfortune in terms of deservingness. These findings indicate that another's misfortune may be pleasing because it satisfies people's concern for a positive self-view and a sense of self-worth.
authors: Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, NL-2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands. dijkwvan@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
authors: Wilco W
authors: WW
authors: van Dijk
authors: Jaap W
authors: JW
authors: Ouwerkerk
authors: Yoka M
authors: YM
authors: Wesseling
authors: Guido M
authors: GM
authors: van Koningsbruggen
mesh_terms: D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D004645:Empathy; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057181:Pleasure; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception