While visiting my mother’s assisted living home, I joined a group of ladies over 80, listening to clues to complete a large, dry-erase crossword puzzle. The teacher let me know she likes the residents to be competitive to elevate the energy in the room. While some competitive juices flowed, I witnessed something different from these hallway neighbors. The ladies expressed an almost giddy glee when one of them called out a correct answer to fit the open number of crossword squares. The pride, delight, camaraderie, and exuberance grew as they cheered for each other’s success.
The trending term for finding joy in another’s joy is freudenfreude (translating from German to mean “joy joy”). Freudenfreude is the pleasure we feel when someone else succeeds, even when we do not directly benefit. Freudenfreude was created as the opposite of the more commonly known German word, schadenfreude.
In America, we use the German word schadenfreude, or the lesser-known word epicaricacy, to mean finding joy in the mishaps and misfortune of others. This concept is why so many enjoy watching failed stunts, tripping videos, or other people’s kids coloring with markers on walls and furniture. We feel relief knowing it is someone else and not us.
There is a glossary shortage in any language for experiencing joy from another’s joy. Why don’t we have a universally accepted word for this concept?
The lesser-known English word confelicity (pleasure in another’s happiness) is the closest synonym to freudenfreude. In Sanskrit, the word mudita refers to the........