Schadenfreude - Tiffany Watt Smith

'A delightful book full of jokes and confessions' Guardian Schadenfreude - enjoying the pain and failures of others - is an all-too-familiar feeling. It has perplexed philosophers and psychologists for centuries but in a time of polarised politics twitter trolls and 'sidebars of shame' has never been more relevant. Recent studies have shown that we smile more at a rival's loss than at our own success. But why can it be so much fun to witness another's distress? And what if anything should we do about it? In Schadenfreude historian of emotions Tiffany Watt Smith offers expert insight and advice. Ranging across thinkers from Nietzsche to Homer Simpson investigating the latest scientific research and collecting some outrageous confessions on the way - she reveals how everyone babies nuns your most trusted friends are enjoying your misfortunes. But rather than an emotional glitch she argues Schadenfreude can reveal profound truths about our relationships with others and our sense of who we are. Frank warm and laugh-out-loud funny Schadenfreude makes the case for thinking afresh about this much-maligned emotion - and perhaps even embracing it.

TITLE: Schadenfreude

AUTHOR: Tiffany Watt Smith

SKU: 9781781259085

PUBLISHER: Profile Books Ltd

DATE PUBLISHED: 18/10/2018

PLACE PUBLISHED: United Kingdom

PAGES: 160

BINDING: Hardback

LANGUAGE: English

DIMENSIONS: 129 mm x 198 mm x 11 mm

WEIGHT: 251 gr