Schadenfreude is one of those German words that doesn’t have a direct translation. It means “joy in another’s misfortune”.

Whole branches of comedy (slapstick) and TV shows (all of Reality TV in my opinion, but definitely “candid camera” and “funny home videos”) are built on this concept.

I watched this video of a “kitten going beserk” on facebook recently, and you’ll have to see for yourself how high it jumps and how many times it contorts itself in horror. While the people taking the video were laughing, my first thought was – hope it didn’t hurt itself.

And that got me wondering about my sense of humor (or lack thereof), my sense of Schadenfreude, my preferences for Extraverted Feeling, and how they may be connected. [Read more...]