Schadenfreude that small, private rush of glee in response to someone else’s misfortune

There is no English translation for the German word schadenfreude—that small, private rush of glee in response to someone else’s misfortune. But everyone recognizes the emotion, even if he or she might not have a word for it (or admit to feeling it). Tabloids have long relied on people’s fascination with public failures: moralizing politicians or entitled actresses disgraced for their peccadilloes. And in recent years schadenfreude has become a prime-time staple, with models, boyfriends, parents, overweight people and recovering addicts, among others, routinely humiliated on cable television.




Scientists who study schadenfreude are learning that this secret happiness at another person’s loss has biological underpinnings. The feeling registers in the brain as a distinct form of pleasure, a satisfaction comparable to that of eating a good meal.


Its a type of stinking thinking. In recovery this means that the individual is caught in their old pattern of thinking. It is usually combined with other unhelpful thoughts and emotions such as:
Resentment against other people in recovery
Feelings of superiority
Feelings of inferiority
Constantly attributing negative motives for the actions of other people
The habit of blowing things out of all proportion
Acting in a grandiose manner
They will tend to see the world in black and white
They may feel bitter about things that occurred in the past
An overly pessimistic view of their future in recovery
They quickly develop feelings of ill-will towards strangers
They will try to blame other people for their own mistakes
Those who engage in stinking thinking become incredibly self-centred
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