The Joy of Pain Read Online Free
Author: Richard H. Smith
superior
and
better about themselves when the other applicant was inferior. Superiority in others often decreases our self-esteem, but their inferiority provides a boost, especially in competitive circumstancesâas many other subsequent studies have shown since this one by Morse and Gergen.
The results were revealing in other interesting ways. A staff person rated how similar the participants were to the accomplice in terms of demeanor, grooming, and overall appearance and confidence. As illustrated in Figure 1.1 , most of the movement in self-esteem occurred for those participants who resembled Mr. Dirtyâthat is, those who appeared to have âinferiorâ characteristics themselves. They must have felt the contrast with the superior applicant most acutely, as their reports of self-esteem, when compared toMr. Clean, took a big hit. But they also
benefited
most if they were lucky enough to be in the Mr. Dirty conditionâcomparing themselves to someone at least equally inferior appeared to give them a much-needed boost. Interestingly, participants rated as having superior characteristics were little affected by either accomplice. If anything, comparison with the superior applicant made them feel better. Perhaps the comparison confirmed their own feelings of superiority.
Figure 1.1. The association of resembling Mr. Clean or Mr. Dirty with self-esteem. Participants resembling Mr. Dirty had lower self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Clean and higher self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Dirty. In contrast, participants resembling Mr. Clean had no change in self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Dirty and slightly greater self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Clean.
INFERIORITY IN OTHERS AND
SCHADENFREUDE
It is hard to overstate the far-reaching advantages of superiority, as well as the obvious disadvantages of inferiority. The implications for understanding many instances of
schadenfreude
are important as well. Most of us are motivated to feel good about ourselves; we look for ways to maintain a positive sense of self. 15 One reliable way to do this is to discover that we are better than others on valued attributes. When our self-esteem is shaky, comparing ourselves with someone inferior can help us feel better.
A series of studies by Dutch social psychologists Wilco van Dijk, Jaap Ouwerkerk, Yoka Wesseling, and Guido van Koningsbruggen gives strong support for this way of thinking. 16 In one study, participants read an interview with a high-achieving student who was later found to have done a poor job on her thesis. Before reading the interview, as part of what appeared to be a separate study, they also filled out a standard self-esteem scale. Participantsâ feelings about themselves were very much related to how much pleasure they later felt after learning about the studentâs failure (items such as âI couldnât resist a little smileâ or âI enjoyed what happenedâ): the worse they felt about themselves, the more pleasing was this studentâs failure. The explanation for these findings was reinforced by a closer analysis using a different measure. Immediately after reading about the high-achieving student, participants indicated whether reading about the student made them feel worse about themselves by comparison. The analysis showed that the tendency for participants with low self-esteem to feel pleased over the studentâs poorly done thesis was linked precisely with
also
feeling that they compared poorly with this student. In other words, when the participants with low self-esteem felt
schadenfreude
, they had also felt the earlier sting of comparing poorly with the student.
A second study added further evidence. The procedure was exactly the same, except that half of the participants, immediately after reading the interview with the high-achieving student but before learning about her academic misfortune, were given a prompt
and
better about themselves when the other applicant was inferior. Superiority in others often decreases our self-esteem, but their inferiority provides a boost, especially in competitive circumstancesâas many other subsequent studies have shown since this one by Morse and Gergen.
The results were revealing in other interesting ways. A staff person rated how similar the participants were to the accomplice in terms of demeanor, grooming, and overall appearance and confidence. As illustrated in Figure 1.1 , most of the movement in self-esteem occurred for those participants who resembled Mr. Dirtyâthat is, those who appeared to have âinferiorâ characteristics themselves. They must have felt the contrast with the superior applicant most acutely, as their reports of self-esteem, when compared toMr. Clean, took a big hit. But they also
benefited
most if they were lucky enough to be in the Mr. Dirty conditionâcomparing themselves to someone at least equally inferior appeared to give them a much-needed boost. Interestingly, participants rated as having superior characteristics were little affected by either accomplice. If anything, comparison with the superior applicant made them feel better. Perhaps the comparison confirmed their own feelings of superiority.
Figure 1.1. The association of resembling Mr. Clean or Mr. Dirty with self-esteem. Participants resembling Mr. Dirty had lower self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Clean and higher self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Dirty. In contrast, participants resembling Mr. Clean had no change in self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Dirty and slightly greater self-esteem after comparing themselves with Mr. Clean.
INFERIORITY IN OTHERS AND
SCHADENFREUDE
It is hard to overstate the far-reaching advantages of superiority, as well as the obvious disadvantages of inferiority. The implications for understanding many instances of
schadenfreude
are important as well. Most of us are motivated to feel good about ourselves; we look for ways to maintain a positive sense of self. 15 One reliable way to do this is to discover that we are better than others on valued attributes. When our self-esteem is shaky, comparing ourselves with someone inferior can help us feel better.
A series of studies by Dutch social psychologists Wilco van Dijk, Jaap Ouwerkerk, Yoka Wesseling, and Guido van Koningsbruggen gives strong support for this way of thinking. 16 In one study, participants read an interview with a high-achieving student who was later found to have done a poor job on her thesis. Before reading the interview, as part of what appeared to be a separate study, they also filled out a standard self-esteem scale. Participantsâ feelings about themselves were very much related to how much pleasure they later felt after learning about the studentâs failure (items such as âI couldnât resist a little smileâ or âI enjoyed what happenedâ): the worse they felt about themselves, the more pleasing was this studentâs failure. The explanation for these findings was reinforced by a closer analysis using a different measure. Immediately after reading about the high-achieving student, participants indicated whether reading about the student made them feel worse about themselves by comparison. The analysis showed that the tendency for participants with low self-esteem to feel pleased over the studentâs poorly done thesis was linked precisely with
also
feeling that they compared poorly with this student. In other words, when the participants with low self-esteem felt
schadenfreude
, they had also felt the earlier sting of comparing poorly with the student.
A second study added further evidence. The procedure was exactly the same, except that half of the participants, immediately after reading the interview with the high-achieving student but before learning about her academic misfortune, were given a prompt
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