Why We Love Watching People Fail: The Dark Psychology of Schadenfreude

A celebrity trips on the red carpet. A rival football team fumbles at the goal line. A smug contestant on a reality show finally gets voted off. What do we do? We laugh. We share memes. We feel a tiny burst of satisfaction.

And then comes the guilt. Should I really feel this way?

This paradox is at the heart of schadenfreude—a German word that combines schaden (harm) and freude (joy). It refers to the pleasure we feel at another’s misfortune. While it sounds cruel on the surface, schadenfreude is a deeply human emotion that runs through history, culture, and everyday life.

We might not admit it openly, but schadenfreude is everywhere: in viral fail videos, office gossip, sports rivalries, political debates, and even friendships. It’s the snicker when the arrogant boss is humbled, the laugh when a too-perfect influencer posts a clumsy mistake, the sigh of relief when someone “above us” stumbles.

But why? Why do we derive joy from failure instead of empathy? Is it rooted in envy, justice, survival, or something more primal? Understanding schadenfreude is not just about curiosity—it’s about confronting the darker edges of human psychology.

The Word with No Equal: A Brief History of Schadenfreude

The term schadenfreude has no perfect translation in English, though it has become part of our vocabulary because we needed a word for it. The concept has existed for centuries—Shakespeare’s plays are full of it—but German gave it a name that stuck.

• Shakespearean examples: Think of Malvolio’s downfall in Twelfth Night—audiences laughed at his humiliation.
• Religious roots: Ancient texts often warned against rejoicing in others’ misfortune, yet tales of pride followed by downfall were staples of moral storytelling.
• Philosophical debates: Thinkers from Aristotle to Nietzsche have wrestled with the human impulse to take pleasure in others’ failures. Nietzsche even suggested schadenfreude reveals an “instinct of cruelty” buried in civilization.

By the 19th century, schadenfreude was borrowed into English because no existing word quite captured the guilty grin at another’s stumble. The fact that we needed to import it says a lot: the feeling is so universal, so recognizable, it demanded a label.

The Evolutionary Roots: Why Failure Feels Good

From an evolutionary perspective, schadenfreude makes sense. Humans evolved in competitive social groups where status, resources, and reputation determined survival. Watching a rival slip was not just amusing—it signaled opportunity.

1. Leveling the Playing Field. In ancestral groups, status mattered. High-status individuals got more food, mates, and protection. When someone at the top stumbled, it created openings for others. Feeling joy at their failure reinforced vigilance in social hierarchies.
2. Reward Pathways in the Brain. Modern neuroscience shows schadenfreude activates the brain’s reward centers, the same areas lit up by winning money or eating chocolate. To our brains, someone else’s loss can feel like our gain.
3. Fairness and Justice. Humans evolved with strong fairness instincts. If someone cheats or flaunts superiority, their downfall feels like balance restored. In this sense, schadenfreude is not cruelty but a moral barometer.

So while we might feel guilty, schadenfreude may have once served as a survival tool: it rewarded us for keeping rivals in check and celebrating justice in small, twisted bursts.

The Psychology of Schadenfreude: Envy, Justice, and Relief

Psychologists break down schadenfreude into three primary drivers:

1. Envy: The Rival’s Fall. When someone has what we want—money, beauty, success—we envy them. If they falter, it eases the sting of inequality. Studies show people report more schadenfreude when the target is high-status. Watching a billionaire lose a fortune feels different than watching a neighbor misplace their keys.
2. Justice: The Arrogant Deserve It. Think of reality shows where cocky contestants are humbled. The pleasure is not just envy—it’s moral satisfaction. Psychologists call this deserved misfortune schadenfreude. We feel a sense of cosmic fairness when pride meets downfall.
3. Relief: Better Them Than Me. Sometimes schadenfreude is less about rivalry and more about comparison. If a coworker fails, we feel relief—it wasn’t us. This explains why people laugh at blooper reels: the failures remind us that everyone is human, and that we’re safe (for now).

These motives often overlap. A celebrity scandal, for example, can spark envy-driven joy (they’re less perfect than we thought), justice satisfaction (they deserved it), and relief (thankfully it’s not us).

Schadenfreude in Everyday Life: From Playgrounds to Politics

Schadenfreude is not rare—it shapes everyday interactions.

• Childhood: Even kids show it. Studies reveal toddlers smile more when a disliked puppet loses candy than when they themselves gain some. The seeds of rivalry start early.
• Workplace: Office gossip thrives on schadenfreude. The arrogant coworker failing a presentation? Pure fodder for whispered satisfaction.
• Sports: Fans thrive on rivals’ failures. The joy of your team winning is often doubled when a hated rival loses.
• Politics: Elections are rife with schadenfreude. Supporters celebrate not only their candidate’s win but also the rival’s humiliation.
• Entertainment: Viral videos of people slipping, blooper reels, and reality TV drama are industries built on schadenfreude.

It’s not that we’re inherently cruel—it’s that society normalizes certain forms of harm-joy, packaging it as entertainment or bonding.

Cultural Differences: How Societies View Schadenfreude

While schadenfreude is universal, cultures vary in how they express and justify it.

• Western cultures often frame it as justice—“they had it coming.” The popularity of underdog stories in Hollywood reflects this cultural taste for leveling the mighty.
• Eastern cultures, shaped by collectivism, may express less overt schadenfreude but channel it into social lessons. A public figure’s disgrace becomes a cautionary tale for the group.
• Digital culture has globalized schadenfreude. Memes transcend borders, spreading laughter at celebrity blunders or political gaffes worldwide.

Interestingly, studies suggest individualistic cultures may be more comfortable expressing schadenfreude openly, while collectivist ones frame it indirectly to preserve social harmony.

The Dark Side: When Schadenfreude Turns Toxic

While a laugh at a blooper is harmless, schadenfreude can turn darker when unchecked.

• Bullying: Many forms of bullying are fueled by schadenfreude—deriving pleasure from another’s pain.
• Workplace Sabotage: Colleagues may secretly—or actively—hope others fail, undermining teamwork.
• Politics and Polarization: In deeply divided societies, schadenfreude fuels hostility, with citizens relishing opponents’ suffering more than celebrating progress.
• Internet Shaming: Online mobs thrive on public failures. Cancel culture often reflects mass schadenfreude disguised as justice.

Unchecked, schadenfreude can corrode empathy, normalize cruelty, and fracture social bonds. What begins as laughter can end as dehumanization.

Psychologists don’t suggest eliminating schadenfreude—after all, it’s natural. But we can become aware of it and channel it.

• Recognize the Feeling. Admitting schadenfreude is the first step. Suppressing it doesn’t help, but acknowledging it allows reflection.
• Practice Empathy. Ask: What if it were me? This flips the perspective, softening the impulse.
• Differentiate Justice from Cruelty. There’s a difference between enjoying karma and enjoying suffering. Celebrating fairness is human; reveling in pain is corrosive.
• Shift Toward Inspiration. Instead of comparing ourselves downwards, we can look for lessons in others’ failures. Failure doesn’t just humble—it teaches.

Like envy, schadenfreude can be harnessed. It can motivate us to reflect, to grow, or to check arrogance in ourselves.

The Mirror of Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude may feel like a guilty pleasure, but it’s more than that—it’s a mirror reflecting human psychology. It shows us how deeply we care about fairness, status, envy, and identity. It reveals that our joy in others’ failures isn’t random but rooted in evolution, justice, and relief.

Yet schadenfreude also warns us. Left unchecked, it fuels cruelty, division, and resentment. Balanced with empathy, however, it can remind us that we’re all flawed, all vulnerable, all human.

So the next time you laugh at a rival’s stumble, pause. Ask yourself: Am I enjoying justice, or just enjoying pain? The answer might tell you more about yourself than about them.