Three things everyone has been talking about this summer:

An affair exposed at a Coldplay concert

Elon and Trump's friendship breakup

Will the Epstein files finally be released?

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It makes sense why these viral topics are the talk of the summer. Who doesn't enjoy a juicy story, conspiracy theory, or flashy news headline? It's natural to gravitate towards entertaining news headlines. I do wonder what it means for us in this current moment to feel united by a series of unfortunate events. What does it say about society when we come together around others' demise?

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Germans have a word for this: Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude means "harm joy," describing the pleasure people get from another's misfortune. Schadenfreude can evoke feelings of connection through mutual dislike or serving a sense of justice. You might have experienced this when you see an influencer make a mistake, a public figure fail big, or an affair televised at a Coldplay concert.

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Emory psychology researchers found that schadenfreude takes three subforms: rivalry, aggression, and justice. You might have felt vindicated or "karma" when your high school nemesis gets divorced. The rivalry exists inside of you, even though you haven't had contact with this person in 20 plus years. Aggression represents a dark triad trait and takes a sadistic form. If someone actively takes pleasure in others' misfortune, it may be out of aggression and low self-esteem. Schadenfreude showcases as elusive empathy when: it "concerns of self-evaluation, social identity, and justice are the three motivators that drive people toward schadenfreude." We have all felt this emotion in some capacity, but living in this state erodes our emotional and relational well-being.

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Brené Brown studied the emotion of schadenfreude and warns that it's particularly dangerous in a group setting because it creates a counterfeit connection around someone else's pain. While the aforementioned media examples create comedic conversation- and incredibly humorous memes- comedy and tragedy often coexist. It raises the question: when was the last time we felt united over something good?

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News headlines will do anything for attention, and schadenfreude makes for great clickbait. Media overlooks freudenfreude- the joy in other people's happiness. Bonding over wins and feeling joy for one another generates genuine empathy. While news ratings will go down for using freudenfreude, it doesn't mean we can't create it.

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Turn the lens on you:

• How can you intentionally practice freudenfreude? When do you feel happy for the people in your inner circle (friends, family, close coworkers, etc.)?
• What do you want to do when you notice schadenfreude coming up? Like with every human experience, the goal isn't to eliminate but to gain awareness. Maybe when you catch yourself getting caught up in gossip, you set a timer for how long you'll have this conversation for then move onto your wins.
• How can you intentionally notice good things? The world feels heavy- understandably so. When we focus solely on the wrongs in the world, we overlook the good. Overlooking life's beauty and concentrating on pain erodes empathy, joy, and connection. Maybe you look for random acts of kindness people do for one another, and partake in random acts yourself.

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In Freudenfreude,

Brittani
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