injustice, envy and, 130–134
Insko, Chet, 42
intergroup dynamics/relations, 42, 48
IQ tests, relative performance on, 61–62
“Isn’t it Romantic?,” 3
It’s a Wonderful Life (film), 184
Jackson, Randy, 95
James, William, 49, 51–52, 93, 177
Jersey Shore (television show), 96
Jesus
on hypocrisy, 75
on difficulty of a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, 129
on judging others, 163
Jesus Camp (film), 73
Jeeves, 30–32
Jews. See also Hitler, Adolf; Nazis
envy of, 220n34
genocide of, 154–157
Hitler’s anti-Semitism and, 143–147
Kristallnacht and, 151–152
Nazis’ treatment of, xvi–xvii
scapegoating of, 147–151
suffering of, 157–161
The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast, 71
Joseph II, Emperor, 136
Johar, Omesh, 133, 134
John 8:3–11, 163
Johnson, Bob, 57–58, 64
Johnson, Samuel, 13
jokes. See superiority theory of humor
Jones, Mike, 73
“just desserts,” 69. See also deserved misfortune
just world, belief in, 80, 81
justice
blaming victims and, 80–82
desire for, xiv
fairness and, 65
restoration of, 202n19
revenge and, 86–92
self-interest and, 82–86
Kant, Immanuel, 1, 67
karma, 81. See also justice
Keltner, Dacher, xvii
Kennedy, John F., 119
Kentucky basketball fans, 38–39, 41
Kerry, John, 24, 45
Kim, Sung Hee, 90
Kimmel, Jimmy, 101
Kinsley, Michael, 74, 117
Kipling, Rudyard, 164
Klaas, Polly, 102
Koningsbruggen, Guido van, 8
Koren, Ed, 79
Kovach, Bill, 19
Kraft durch Freude (“Strength through Joy”), 152
Kristallnacht, 151–152
Krizan, Zlatan, 133, 134
Krusty the Clown, 51
Kubizek, August, 146
Laettner, Christian, 38
“Lake Wobegon effect,” 192n31
Lamborghini, 120–121
Land of Nod, 127
laughter. See superiority theory of humor
Lazare, Bernard, 218n25
Leach, Colin, 133, 153
Lee, General Robert E., 173
Leno, Jay, 120
Leonard, Justin, 43–44
Lerner, Melvin, 80
Leviathan (Hobbes), 27
Levin, Brian, 25
Life on the Mississippi (Twain), 112
Lilliputians, 122
likeability, envy and, 121–122
Lincoln, Abraham, xvii, 172–176
Linz, Austria, 143, 146
Lord of the Flies (Golding), 59
Lost in the Cosmos (Percy), 112
Louisiana Tech, 38, 40
love, competition for, 49–50
Lovell, Jim, xiii, 189n3
low-status, adaptive benefits and, 12
luxury items, flaunting of, 120–121
lynching, 158
Madoff, Bernie, 68–70, 82
The Magic Flute (Mozart), 136
Makes Me Wanna Holler (McCall), 17–20
Malcolm X, 67, 85
Mandel, Howie, 97–98
Mandela, Nelson, 182
Mao: The Unknown Story (Chang and Halliday), 116
Mao Tse-tung, 116
“March Madness,” 39
The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), 136
Martha Stewart Living (Stewart), 117
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, 117
Martin, Ricky, 93
Marx, Groucho, 28
Masters, The, 43
“mate value,” 11
math ability, perception of, 14–16, 15f
mating game, 51
McCain, John, 46, 47f
McCall, Nathan, 17–20
McClane, John, 107
McCollam, Douglas, 102–103
McCullough, Michael, xvii
McDonald’s (restaurant), 17
McKale, Donald, 152, 155
Meade, General, 173–174
meat-eaters, self-consciousness of, 75–76
medial prefrontal cortex, 111
Mein Kampf (Hitler), 143
“me-monsters,” 5
Michael Kohlhaas (novella), 88
Michigan State University, 85
Mickelson, Phil, 179
Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare), 37
Milgram, Stanley, 166–169
Milton, John, 128
“minimal group paradigm,” 35
misfortune. See also deserved misfortune
deservingness of, 48, 202n19
of friends, 50–51
gain from others,’ xii–xiv
pleasure from deserved, xiv
Miss Teen USA Pageant, 23
Monin, Benoit, 75
monkeys, in unequal treatment studies, 12–13
moral behavior. See hypocrites
Moral Compass: Stories for a Life’s Journey (Bennett), 74
moral limits. See Nazis Morse, Stan, 6–7
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 110, 125, 135–138, 181, 211n5
“Mr. Clean/Mr. Dirty” comparisons, 6–8
Murphy, Jeffrie, 87–88
My German Question (Gay), 47, 198n33
Napoleon, 53
narcissism, 60, 133–134
NASA, 45
NASA lunar mission, xiii
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 38
The National Enquirer, 115–116, 178
Nation of Islam, 85
natural narcissism, 60
Nazis. See also Hitler, Adolf
in The Doctor and the Damned, 58–59
envy of Jews, xvi–xvii, 142–143, 148
Kristallnacht, 151–152
in My German Question, 47
persecution/murder of Jews, 142
revenge on, 86–87
scapegoating of Jews, 147–151
New England Patriots, 40
New York Jets, 41
New York Stock Exchange, 117
The New York Times, xv, 19, 117, 157
The New Yorker, 117
New Yorker cartoons, 21, 33, 79
Nicklaus, Jack “The Golden Bear,” 177
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 51, 132–133, 147, 218n25
“no-fair” game, 12–14
Nordegren, Elin, 183
1935 Nuremberg Laws, 156
Oates, Constable, 31–32, 184
Obama, Barack, 44, 46–47, 47f, 53–54
obedience to authority, 166–169
Ohlmeyer, Don, 178–179
O’Keefe, Walter, 4–5
Olazábal, José María, 43–44
Old Testament of Hebrew Bible, 127
omnivores, self-consciousness of, 75–76
Orwell, George, 33, 49, 98
Oscar (Academy Award), 9
other-interest, self-interest and, xiii–xiv, 51–54
outgroups/outgroup antipathy, 29, 35, 37, 42–43, 47, 149–150, 197n15
outrunning grizzly bear joke, xii
Ouwerkerk, Jaap, 8
Owens, Jesse, 48
Oxford University, 83–84
Parade Magazine, 120
parents, children’s performance and, 34–35
Parnevik, Jesper, 183
partisan instincts/interests, 44–48
Patton, General George S., 33
peace, vs. war, 116
Pearl Harbor attack, 91
pedophile, 101
Percy, Walker, 112, 116
Perloff, Andrew, 41
pe
rsecution, pleasures of, 151–153
personal happiness, xvii
personality, as explanation for others’ actions, 165–166
Pharisees, 75
Phelps, Michael, 29
Philippines, 91
Pitts, Leonard, Jr., 72
plagiarizing, 76–77
Plato, 27
pleasure/pleasures
of envy, 114
of persecution, 151–153
of revenge, 86–92
“The Pleasures of Seeing the Deserving Fail” (Fenton), 185–187
politics, schadenfreude and, 44–48
Portmann, John, 68, 70, 77, 185
positive psychology movement, xvii
Potter, Harry, 30
Powell, Caitlin, 76
Prager, Dennis, 147–148
preachers, hypocrisy of, 71–75
Predator Raw. See To Catch A Predator
Presidential Debate of October 2012, 53
prestige, desire for, 105
Princeton University, 151
The Principles of Psychology (James), 51–52
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, 149
Pushkin, Alexander, 125
“Put on a Happy Face” (song), 184
racial comparison. See Makes Me Wanna Holler (McCall)
Raisman, Aly, 35
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (St. John), 36
Rattay, Tim, 40
reality television, xv, 23, 93, 96, 105–106, 119–120, 170. See also American Idol; Howie Do It
The Red Badge of Courage (Crane), 16–17, 192–193n41
Redick, J.J., 38
Regan, Brian, 5
Reiss, Steven, 105
Rekers, George, xiv, 72, 74
relative advantage/differences, 12–14
relative performance, on tests, 61–62
relative standing, biased perception of, 15f
relativistic thinking/rule, 12
Republicans/Republican Party, 44–46, 47f, 53, 198n28
research/studies
on “culpable control,” 82
on envy, 113–114
on fandom, 39, 41–42
on hypocrisy and deserved misfortune, 76–77
on inferiority, 133
on “just world” belief, 80
on “minimal group paradigm,” 35–36
on narcissism, 133–134
on obedience to authority, 166–169
on reality TV watching, 105
on relative standing/unequal treatment, 12–16, 61–63
on revenge, 89–91
on self-esteem, 6–10
resentment, envy transmuted into, xvii
respect, 64, 90, 102, 164, 221–222n67
ressentiment, 132–133
revenge
desire for, xiv
high-status and, 105–108
instinct for, xvii
pleasures of, 86–92
restoring self-esteem, 90
rumination and, 90, 207n50
revenge plots, 67
Rich, Frank, xiv
Rickles, Don, 28
righteous pleasure, 79
rival group suffering, 41–42
The Road Runner, 54
Rochefoucauld, François de la, 9, 55
Romney, Mitt, 46–47, 53–54
Rooney, Mickey, 93
Roseman, Mark, 155
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, 92
Rosten, Leo, 67
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 5–6
Rowling, J. K., 30
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (Fitzgerald), 131
rumination, effects of, 207n49
Russo, Richard, 138–139
Ryder Cup matches, 43–44
sadism, 89, 92, 157, 166, 171, 220n59, 207n54
Salieri, Antonio, 110, 125, 134–138, 181, 211n5
Satan, envy linkage to, 128
“satisfied indignation,” 202n19
scapegoating, of Jews, 147–151. See also Jews
The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne), 106
schadenfreude
age of, xv
zero-sum, competitive situations and, 34, 180
antidotes, xvii, 163–166, 170–176
belief in a just world and, 80–82
in biography, 17–20
definition/meaning of, xi, xiii, 202n19, 204n4, 207n52
deservingness and, xiv, 67–71, 79, 181, 202n19, 204n4, 207n54. See also deserved misfortune and justice
empathy and, xvii
envy and, xvi–xvii, 109, 111–114, 130–134, 153–154, 181
evolutionary roots of, 10–13
in fiction, 16–17, 30–32, 138–139
felt by Hitler, 152
first hand suffering of, 157–161
from gain, xii-xiii, 2
gossip, 141, 187
hostile action and, 134–139, 153–157
human depravity and, xvi–xvii, 48
humiliation and, 94–98
humor and, 27–30
hypocrisy and, 71–77
inferiority in others and, 8–10, 21–24, 94–98
ingroup gain, 35, 64
injustice and, xiv, 130–134
in media, 93–108, 115–121, 178–179
as natural human emotion, xviii
persecution and murder of Jews, 141–143, 151–153, 157–160
passive vs. active, xvi, 22, 91, 153, 207n52
in politics, 44–48
punishment and, 70
revenge and, 67–68, 86–92
sadism and, 92, 157, 207n54, 220n59
self-interest and, 50–54, 82–86, 182–183
superiority and, xii, 1–4, 10–12, 16–20, 27–30
in sports, 39–44
usage in books published, xv, xvf
Scheler, Max, 132–133
Schurtz, Ryan, 41
Schwartz, Michael, 69
Schwarzenegger, Arnold, 88
Scroggins, W. T. “Dub,” 21
Seaman, Ann Rowe, 74
self-affirming thoughts, 9
self-deception, envy and, 129–130
self-esteem
experimental evidence of, 6–10
group membership and, 34–36
illusions and, 16
inferiority in others and, 8–10
movement of, 7f
narcissism and, 133–134
revenge and, 90
social comparisons and, 6–10, 29
self-evaluation, social comparisons and, 4, 6–10, 16, 180
self-importance, 105
self-interest
children and, 59–61
culture and, 64
empathy and, 62–65
extreme circumstances and, 57–59
human nature and, 54–57
justice and, 82–86
other-interest and, xiii–xiv, 51–54
self-interested behavior, 64
self-pride (amour propre), 5
self-serving feelings, in mating game, 51
self-worth, downward comparison and, xii
Seligman, Martin, xvii
sense of humor
Hitler’s, 217n19
perception of, 14–16, 15f
sexual predator, 101. See also To Catch A Predator
Shakespeare, William, 37, 92, 100, 125
Shapiro, William, 158, 161
shared standards, 68, 79
“She Bangs” (song). 93
Shepard, Alan, xiii, 189n3
sibling rivalry, 60
Sides, Hampton, 91–92
Sideshow Bob, 51
Simmons, Carolyn, 80
Simpson, Homer, xi–xiii, xvi, 109, 122–123, 183–184
Simpson, Lisa, xi, xvi, 109, 183
The Simpsons, xi, xii, xvi, 51, 109, 122–123
Sinatra, Frank, 4, 9
situational causes, role of, 165–166, 168, 171–172
60 Minutes, 24–25
Skinner, B. F., 5
Slate Magazine, 74, 100, 117
slav
ery, 85–86
Smith, Adam, 62
Snierson, Dan, 105–106
Snyder, Don J., 1
soccer fans, 39
social comparisons
in biography, 17–20
evolutionary roots of, 10–16
in fiction, 16–17
at intergroup level, 29
self-esteem and, 6–10, 16
self-evaluation in, 4
self-interest and, 61
in “state of nature,” 5
Social Psychology and Human Nature (Baumeister and Bushman), 63
Soldiers and Slaves (Cohen), 157
solitary state, social comparisons in, 5
South Africa, 182
Spears, Russell, 133, 153
Speer, Albert, 146, 217n19
SpiderMan, 121
Spinoza, Baruch, 109
“sport killings,” 24
Spode, 30–31
sports, schadenfreude in, 39–44
sports fans, emotional life of, 36–39
St. John, Warren, 36–38, 40
St. Andrews University, 83–84
standards, culturally shared, 68, 79
Stanford University, 75, 120, 177
“state of nature,” social comparisons in, 5
status, revenge and, 105–108
stealing, 76
Stereotype Content Model, 148, 151, 153
Stevens, Helen, 48
Stewart, Jon, 28, 54
Stewart, Martha, 117–119, 122, 123, 178
Stuckart, Wilhelm, 155–157
studies. See research/studies
success/failure, of others, 61–62
“sudden glory,” 27
suffering, of hypocrites, 75–77
Sundie, Jill, 120
superiority. See also social comparisons
evolution and, 10
inferiority in others and, 8–10
superiority theory of humor, 27–30
Survivor (television show), 96, 119–120. See also reality television
Swaggart, Jimmy, 71–72, 74
Swift, Jonathan, 49, 52, 122
tabloids, appeal of, 115–116
Tajfel, Henri, 35–37
Takahashi, Hidehiko, 114
Telushkin, Joseph, 147–148
Thornburg, Richard “Dick”, 107
“thrill of victory,” 28–29
The Today Show (television show), 23
Toland, John, 147, 152
The Tonight Show (television show), 119–120
Toobin, Jeffery, 117–118, 122
Totleigh Towers, 31
Tucker, Sophie, 4
Turner, Terry, 113
Twain, Mark, 21, 112, 114–115, 141, 147, 212n21
Unamuno, Miguel de, 130
unequal treatment, studies of, 12–13
University of Alabama, 36–38, 40
University of California at Berkeley, 93
University of Bristol, 35
University of Florida, 37–38
University of Kentucky, 38–39, 41
University of Michigan, 6
University of Tennessee, 38
University of Vienna, 13
Upton, Caitlin, 23
upward comparison, 6–8. See also social comparisons
U.S. invasion of Cuba, 119
The Joy of Pain Page 29