Win a Pre-Release Exclusive Copy of ‘Schadenfreude’ by our very own Tiffany Watt Smith

Win an exclusive copy of Schadenfreude: The Joy of Another’s Misfortune by our very own Dr Tiffany Watt Smith. Don’t know what schadenfreude is?

Read on below the competition…

*to enter you must be a student/alumnus of closes 17/10/18 at 17:00 GMT. There will be one winner chosen at random shortly after this date.

To enter to win simply retweet this Tweet:

Or leave a comment on this Instagram post with your Schadenfreude moment:

About the book

Schadenfreude – enjoying the pain and failures of others – is an all-too-familiar feeling. It has perplexed philosophers and psychologists for centuries but, in a time of polarised politics, twitter trolls and ‘sidebars of shame’, has never been more relevant. Recent studies have shown that we smile more at a rival’s loss than at our own success. But why can it be so much fun to witness another’s distress? And what, if anything, should we do about it?

In Schadenfreude, historian of emotions Tiffany Watt Smith offers expert insight and advice. Ranging across thinkers from Nietzsche to Homer Simpson, investigating the latest scientific research, and collecting some outrageous confessions on the way – she reveals how everyone, babies, nuns, your most trusted friends, are enjoying your misfortunes. But rather than an emotional glitch, she argues, Schadenfreude can reveal profound truths about our relationships with others and our sense of who we are.

Frank, warm and laugh-out-loud funny, Schadenfreude makes the case for thinking afresh about this much-maligned emotion – and perhaps, even, embracing it.

About the author

Tiffany Watt Smith is a Research Fellow at the QMUL Centre for the History of the Emotions, and was a 2014 BBC New Generation Thinker. She has also worked as a theatre director, including stints as Associate Director at the Arcola and International Associate Director at the Royal Court. Schadenfreude is published in association with Wellcome Collection, a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we think and feel about health. Inspired by the medical objects and curiosities collected by Henry Wellcome, it connects science, medicine, life and art. Wellcome Collection exhibitions, events and books explore a diverse range of subjects, including consciousness, forensic medicine, emotions, sexology, identity and death.

 

Published by

All Things SED Editor

I am the Web and Marketing Administrator in the School of English and Drama. Amongst my various roles, I run the School's website (www.sed.qmul.ac.uk) and its Twitter feed (@QMULsed). I also manage the running of the School's Open Days and draft promotional materials.