Psychologists agree: people who take pleasure in others’ misfortune are not necessarily bad, they are often using a defense mechanism

Sometimes it happens unintentionally. You see someone who is always showing off make a mistake, or you watch a person who has hurt you receive bad news, and deep down you feel a small sense of satisfaction. Then the guilt sets in. Why do we react this way? Does it make us bad people?

Psychology offers a more compassionate and nuanced answer: not necessarily.

This phenomenon has a name: schadenfreude, a German term that describes the feeling of pleasure derived from another person’s misfortune. Although it may be uncomfortable to acknowledge, it is a common emotion and a normal part of human psychology.

Experts explain that this feeling is usually not rooted in cruelty. Instead, it often arises through internal psychological mechanisms that help us process and manage our emotions. One of those mechanisms is our sense of justice. When we believe someone has behaved unfairly, arrogantly, or irresponsibly, seeing them face the consequences of their actions can create a sense of balance. It feels as though the world has, in some way, been set right again.

Many people refer to this idea as karma. Some even embrace popular interpretations of karma’s principles, such as the belief that what you put into the world comes back to you, that you are responsible for your actions, that growth requires acceptance and change, and that improving yourself helps improve your environment.

Social comparison also plays an important role. Human beings constantly compare themselves to others, often without realizing it. When we are struggling with challenges, self-doubt, or insecurity, seeing that other people also make mistakes can ease some of the pressure we place on ourselves. It is not necessarily happiness at another person’s suffering. Rather, it is a quiet reassurance: “I’m not the only one.”

As the saying goes, misery loves company. It may not be the noblest source of comfort, but it is comfort nonetheless.

In that sense, this reaction can function as an emotional defense mechanism. It helps protect our self-esteem when we feel inadequate, frustrated, or insecure. On a biological level, the brain may even release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, creating a brief feeling of relief.

There is, however, an important distinction. Psychologists emphasize that this emotion is perfectly normal as long as it does not involve a genuine desire to harm others. Feeling relief or mild satisfaction in certain situations is human. Actively wishing suffering on someone else is not. Hoping that a person fails, never succeeds, struggles endlessly, or experiences ongoing hardship is neither healthy nor constructive.

Ultimately, this reaction reveals more about our own emotional state than it does about the other person. It reflects our insecurities, our emotional wounds, and our desire to feel better about ourselves, even if only momentarily through someone else’s setback. Recognizing this does not excuse the feeling, but it helps us understand it.

Understanding why we react this way can help us stop judging ourselves so harshly. It can also encourage greater empathy, both toward ourselves and toward others.

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