Are You Normal to Say 'Ssaemtong' at Others' Misfortune? [Reading Science]

Is it wrong for humans to take pleasure in others' mistakes or misfortunes?
[Photo by YouTube screenshot]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Many people are struggling due to the pandemic of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). However, might there be some who secretly feel schadenfreude when seeing those affected by COVID-19?

Even outside of the COVID-19 situation, there are people who quietly take pleasure in others' misfortunes. For example, when a colleague is scolded by a boss for a minor mistake, some may feel a sense of satisfaction rather than sympathy, or when someone breaks up with a friend they were dating, some secretly feel "ssamtong" (serves them right) and rejoice.

There are many other cases as well. When a business of an acquaintance they are jealous of fails, or when an arrogant audition contestant without talent is humiliated on stage, and so on. This psychology also operates between citizens of different countries. When COVID-19 cases increase in Japan, the United States, or Europe, some may secretly feel a sense of "ssamtong."

Japan is a close yet distant neighbor that seems to look down on Korea, the U.S. appears to treat Korea as a pushover in recent defense cost negotiations, and Europeans who do not hesitate to show racial discrimination against Asians are also disliked. However, having this "ssamtong" feeling is not considered a mental disorder.

The word that expresses this human psychology is "Schadenfreude." It is a German compound word combining "Schaden," meaning damage or loss, and "freude," meaning joy, used to describe the pleasure derived from another's misfortune. Another similar expression is the "Salieri syndrome," which refers to the pain of Antonio Salieri, who envied the musical genius Mozart.

In Korean, the expression "ssamtong" is probably the most accurate. Among old proverbs, "When a cousin buys land, it hurts the stomach" is the closest in meaning. The opposite of Schadenfreude in Buddhism is "Mudita," which expresses joy in seeing others' happiness.

So why do people have this "ssamtong" psychology? It is said to be because there is a benefit gained from others' misfortune. People constantly compare themselves to others to find their own value, and if someone makes a mistake and their status lowers, there is an expectation that one's own status may rise as a reflected benefit.

Professor Hidehiko Takahashi's team at Kyoto University in Japan conducted an experiment on people's Schadenfreude. The team first gave 19 young men and women scenarios and asked them to imagine themselves as the protagonist. The scenario included three other characters, all university classmates.

The scenario depicted their university life and a reunion after entering society. While participants read the scenario, their brain responses were recorded and analyzed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Donald Trump, President of the United States, often appears as the subject of the world's 'Schadenfreude.' Do people feel joy in mocking President Trump, or does President Trump himself take pleasure in being mocked?
[Photo by YouTube screen capture]

The results were surprising: when the three classmates succeeded, the protagonist's anxiety and pain increased, and when the three classmates experienced misfortune, the protagonist's pleasure increased.

Similar results were found in other experiments. However, it was revealed that if the object of envy or jealousy is unrelated to oneself or belongs to a field one does not care about, no matter how successful they are, no envy or jealousy is felt.

Scientists say that since envy and jealousy are not the only human nature, there is no need to take this psychological state too seriously. However, if such feelings are openly expressed and lead to serious conflicts, psychological treatment may be necessary.

We hope that people will strive not to harbor "ssamtong" feelings toward those suffering from COVID-19 or anyone else enduring hardships for other reasons.