The Curious Case of Hate-Following and Our Love for Misery
Ah, social media—a delightful playground where we can watch others’ failures unfold like a slow-motion train wreck. Some say this strange phenomenon, dubbed “hate-following,” is tied to something equally amusing: schadenfreude. Yes, that’s right, the delight we experience from others’ misfortunes. Isn’t it just charming how the human brain can revel in such joy?
In a typically enlightening contribution to BBC Science Focus, one Dean Burnett—neuroscientist, author, comedian, and overall “science guy”—unveils the complexities of our minds in a way that makes watching paint dry feel like a rollercoaster ride. He suggests that schadenfreude is as common as bad selfies and awkward family gatherings, arising from evolutionary processes that took millions of years to perfect. Who knew our brains had taken time off from developing, I don’t know, world peace?
One might wonder what exactly our ancestors focused on during those millions of years. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t crochet skills. According to Burnett, it was socializing and keeping score on the social hierarchy—because nothing screams ‘survival’ quite like being popular at the cave party. He argues that we all have this inexplicable urge to navigate the pecking order, clearly believing we’re destined to be at the top, like the last slice of pizza that everyone fights over.
Here’s where it gets juicy: when a fellow social climber stumbles and loses their precious social status, we don’t merely sit back and shake our heads in pity. Oh no! Instead, we experience a glowing rush of satisfaction—like finding a forgotten twenty dollar bill in your winter coat. Burnett explains that witnessing someone else’s blunders means our own social status might be inching up, all without us lifting a finger. Who knew misfortune was a ticket to the VIP section?
“Watching someone mess up and subsequently lose face is like witnessing a live-action game show where they get all the answers wrong, yet somehow we are the ones clapping,” Burnett wittily points out. As our competitor’s star fades, our own status rises, like a well-baked soufflé. And just like that, schadenfreude shows up uninvited to the party—we love it, and we feel great about it!
But let’s not confuse this glorious feeling with empathy. That’s a whole different ballgame—one where we might actually care about how others feel. Instead, we’ll happily sip our coffee while scrolling through social media, eagerly clicking on the latest post about someone’s epic fail. It reminds us that we might not be winning at life, but at least we’re not that person who thought it was a good idea to bake a cake without flour.
So, the next time you find yourself hate-following someone online, take a moment to relish that warm, fuzzy feeling of superiority. After all, it’s the little joys in life—like watching someone else trip and fall—that make social media worth its weight in gold. Or rather, in recycled meme templates. In the grand pecking order of the internet, we’re all just one click away from the top.
