Someone shoves you hard on the escalator as they're running to catch the train—and they miss it. Your “perfect” work partner doesn’t get the promotion they were expecting. A politician is “caught” with their pants down. A woman's child has a meltdown in the supermarket. Why are you smiling now?

Schadenfreude is that guilty pleasure we feel when something goes wrong for someone else. It’s the sweet satisfaction we get from the torrent of abusive messages a hapless politician receives on Twitter. The schadenfreude smirk we wear when a reporter trips over their words in front of the camera. The triumphant thrill that washes over us when our ex’s wedding gets canceled. We may not take pride in this feeling, but it remains one of life’s greatest hidden joys.

So how can we explain it? What are the hidden laws of human schadenfreude? Drawing inspiration and material on the subject from many thinkers, from Nietzsche to Homer Simpson, Tiffany Watt Smith dives into the abyss of the human soul, from antiquity to today’s world of Twitter, online videos, politics, and business. Outrageous confessions and useful observations about a human weakness that may not be so bad after all…

In an age obsessed with perfection, this flaw might just be the one that saves us.

“A delightful book about the bad and the good of human schadenfreude.” The Guardian

“Tiffany Watt Smith reveals why we secretly enjoy the misfortunes of others.” Los Angeles Times

“The misfortunes of others are as sweet as honey, says a Japanese proverb. From France to New Guinea, this book chronicles the forms and functions of a structural human weakness.” The Times