Conversation:

Scadenfreude may well be healthy, but it's also definitely a sign of weakness in the human character. It's along exactly the same lines as making yourself bigger by picking on others. In the case of Schadenfreude, you don't actually get to pick, but you feel better when you realize you're not as miserable as many others. I hereby admit to having watched the first two weeks of "Ricky Lake Show" for the sake of sheer Schadenfreude. Eventually, I have come to the point of feeling miserable myself when I watch that particular show (and other related forms of "entertainment"). We sure are of questionable breed...