Distress of Interest

Normally people don't wish bad things to happen to other people, so why is it they like reading about them in the National Enquirer? New and extremely popular on television are reality shows that exploit this trait in human behavior. The German language has a word to describe delight in another person’s adversity: it's “schadenfreude”. Schadenfreude is a somewhat sinister or taboo activity to indulge in. Few people will admit to wanting to see a nasty photo in The Enquirer, but plenty of copies do sell. Wondering who will get axed off the reality TV show this week also keeps viewers tuning in. Curiosity for the unpleasant varies to different degrees. My mother would say, “Please, spare me the gory details!” Some though seem to want tragic and unsavoury events, even before their morning coffee. Could it be that humans are somehow defective or lacking in moral character? Two possible causes are rooted in envy and in a person’s self-esteem.

A study referred to by Warren St. John can shed some light about envy. The participants were exposed to two types of people. One seemed to have everything going for him and the other did not. When something terrible happened to them both, most people had little sympathy for the successful person. Then there is someone specific who is envied and falls from grace, such as Martha Stewart, she was an extremely successful businesswoman who appeared to have it all. No one needed to be jealous of her at that time in her life.

The public has always been concerned with celebrities. Nancy Day, in her book “Sensational T.V., Trash or Journalism?” recalls the OJ Simpson saga. It was covered extensively on tabloid T.V. and sometimes on regular news programs where it pre-empted other important stories. She states that viewers were all too happy to see that being rich and famous doesn't assure happiness. These types of events can level out people’s status in life. They can now come together to discuss the demise of another person. Spaghetti Westerns used to satisfy the urge to see the bad guy get it. Now real-life villains in the form of corrupt politicians and company executives are preferred. Cheers can be heard when these ones bite the dust.

Etiquette seems to say, not to revel in it when the unfortunate one is close, is a friend or a family member. It is not however, always a stranger’s misfortune that gives somebody glee. Lisa Kogan in the body of a research essay, provides a possible reason. Even the people who are known and loved are using up the resource is in the universe. These are the things desired by everyone, so when they lose, people's assumption in that they win. Wanting what others have can be linked to the feeling people have, of not having enough themselves. Some think there is not enough to go around.

Interest in another person’s failure or rejoicing over it can be connected to the observer’s self-esteem. McGowan points out that if someone is doing badly, and someone else is worth off, it lifts the mood for the benefited one. The National Enquirer issue showing the cellulite of some famous women did just that. Joyful cries arose upon revealing it to various female friends. They were eager to see it and commented that they now feel better about themselves. This response illustrates “schadenfreude, delight in the adversary of others”. Using what is known as Social Comparison Theory, psychologists attempt to explain schadenfreude. Humankind judges themselves by the yardstick of others, rather than examine their own measurements. If somebody falls short, then they can stand tall.

All the blunders and slapstick activity in the T.V. show “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé” make one glad not to be involved in this fiasco. Someone watches and receives relief from their own world, even if it is just a diversion. It is the feeling of moral superiority they get that rewards the viewer, according to Michelle K Duffy, an assistant professor who has researched schadenfreude. These shortcomings that belong to someone else, boost selfesteem for those who don't appear to have any.

Co-authors Connie Zweig, PH. D, and Steve Wolf, PH. D argue that a lot can be learned from the dark side of this curiosity. The examples that a person is drawn to or detests the most: these provide clues to their personality. It's much safer to deal with someone else’s problems than one's own. Soap Operas abound to satisfy many of the population in this respect. Who hasn't been thankful to know others are not perfect? Schadenfreude as a type of therapy is linked in some way to most self-help approaches. Its role is in giving some bad examples of what not to do, that hopefully helps someone to acquire better knowledge about what to do to improve themselves. The popular media promotes self-help today on a regular basis, and certainly has always had a lot of schadenfreude at their disposal.

Shocking and sad occurrences have always been used to draw an audience. In the 70s there were a whole rash of disaster movies, “The Poseidon Adventure”, “Towering Inferno”, “Earthquake”, and “Airplane”. Inquisitive people filled the theatres. Don Henley wrote a song called “Dirty Laundry”, in it he sings “Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies, got our dirty little fingers and everybody pies; love to cut you down to size, we need dirty laundry”. No one is faultless when it comes to an appetite for seemingly disagreeable stuff. Although examining the motives for this, whether envy or self regard, may prove offensive to some viewers.

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