<p>The term you are looking for is the german word <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude" rel="nofollow"><em>Schadenfreude</em></a> which was adopted into English. The wikipedia page that I linked here should be a good start for reading and you could continue by checking the resources from the section "Scientific studies" there.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-10T20:53:38.693Z
2016-08-10T20:53:38.693Z
awakenting
<p>I just watched the Purge 3 and noticed that they include characters intentionally there for you to dislike, so they can satisfy you with their misfortunes.  In the first movie, it's a very satisfying brutal smashing of the woman's face on a desk.   In the third movie, it jumps to an uncut scene of shooting a young teenage girl in the face with a shotgun, as well as a mass shooting at a church.
I find it somewhat disturbing that I enjoy seeing this, and am also unsure if its a bad thing or not.  What is the psychological term for this?  I'd like to read about it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-10T21:11:50.560Z
Hey Nathan, welcome to Cognitive Science :) I'm pretty sure, you could have found the answer to this question yourself by googeling for example: "term enjoying seeing bad characters die". Such an initial research from yourself is very appreciated on this site and if you can't find the answer you can still ask your question here. Ideally, you would then first explain what your initial research brought up or didn't and then write down the question.
awakenting
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-14T00:47:13.943Z
Schadenfreude: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude
Arnon Weinberg
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-17T05:51:09.550Z
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is better suited for [english.se]
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-17T13:43:40.810Z
It'd be jargon from psychology.  So you'd ask a psychologist rather than an english teacher.
mr danker
<cognitive-psychology><emotion>
What is the term for enjoying seeing bad/unlikable characters die?
mr danker
# What is the term for enjoying seeing bad/unlikable characters die?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-08-10)

I just watched the Purge 3 and noticed that they include characters intentionally there for you to dislike, so they can satisfy you with their misfortunes. In the first movie, it's a very satisfying brutal smashing of the woman's face on a desk. In the third movie, it jumps to an uncut scene of shooting a young teenage girl in the face with a shotgun, as well as a mass shooting at a church.
I find it somewhat disturbing that I enjoy seeing this, and am also unsure if its a bad thing or not. What is the psychological term for this? I'd like to read about it.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, emotion

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hey Nathan, welcome to Cognitive Science :) I'm pretty sure, you could have found the answer to this question yourself by googeling for example: "term enjoying seeing bad characters die". Such an initial research from yourself is very appreciated on this site and if you can't find the answer you can still ask your question here. Ideally, you would then first explain what your initial research brought up or didn't and then write down the question.  
> **username_2**: Schadenfreude: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude  
> **username_3**: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is better suited for [english.se]  
> **username_0**: It'd be jargon from psychology.  So you'd ask a psychologist rather than an english teacher.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-08-10. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The term you are looking for is the german word [*Schadenfreude*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude) which was adopted into English. The wikipedia page that I linked here should be a good start for reading and you could continue by checking the resources from the section "Scientific studies" there.


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