We should all take pride in—and be happy for—the good fortune of others, right? It makes relationships
healthier and more enjoyable. This isn’t just a feel-good concept. It has a name—freudenfreude—and
represents the opposite of schadenfreude, which is the pleasure we feel in others’ misfortunes.
When someone else succeeds,
the caring part of you wants to celebrate that person’s success.”
Professor of Psychology Cathy Chambliss has long been interested in the balance between human’s capacity for caring and their capacity for competition.”
Her work on the subject was recently featured in The New York Times, in which Chambliss called freudenfreude “social glue.” Based on empirical studies that were later replicated by researchers in Europe, Chambliss found that depression is often associated with low levels of freudenfreude and high levels of schadenfreude.
This phenomenon, she concluded, becomes self-reinforcing, depleting our resources for enjoying others’ successes and causing us to lose friends. “You build freudenfreude when you establish nurturing relationships with other people,” she said.
