the.com/schadenfreude
the joy you pretend not to feel when smug people faceplant in public.
means The pleasure derived from another person's misfortune, troubles, or failures.
from A loanword German handed over whole, built from two blunt parts: Schaden, meaning 'harm' or 'damage,' and Freude, meaning 'joy.' Literally 'harm-joy.' English has borrowed it since the 19th century precisely because we never built our own word for the feeling — perhaps because admitting we wanted one felt too revealing. German, ever practical, just named the thing and moved on.
- german loan
- German for harm-joy, untranslatable in one English word
- brain scan
- Studies show it lights up reward centers
- opposite exists
- Freudenschadenfreude means pain at others' joy
- early age
- Toddlers show it before age two
- justice flavor
- Stronger when the victim seemed to deserve it
germany 2006 world cup — zidane's headbutt ejection in final against italy, watched by millions who celebrated his downfall
tiger woods 2009 scandal — golfer's infidelity exposed, media frenzy as fans of other athletes reveled in his fall from grace
fyre festival 2017 — luxury music festival collapsed into chaos, audiences globally enjoyed watching influencers' humiliation in real-time