tpmcommercenew

Spears, R.

Evidence for group-based schadenfreude from the gender domain: From intragroup to intergroup rivalry

In three studies we examine evidence for the occurrence of intergroup schadenfreude in the realm of gender relations. In Study 1, female students read a scenario about a male or female high-flying but overconfident student who fails a job interview, having previously read a text about global warming (low gender salience) or feminism (high gender salience). Female schadenfreude toward the male target’s failure was higher, particularly in the high salience condition. In Study 2, male and female participants showed higher levels of schadenfreude toward a candidate of the opposite gender who had received preferential treatment in a business environment, but who was subsequently demoted. In Study 3, male participants showed significantly higher levels of schadenfreude toward a woman suffering a (non-fatal) car crash compared to a man suffering the same fate, but a reversal of this pattern for women was not significant. In sum, all three studies show evidence of intergroup schadenfreude in the realm of gender. We discuss reasons for the specific patterns of findings as well as differences with other research demonstrating greater schadenfreude toward same-gender targets.

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