Soldiers of misfortune: An examination of the Dark Triad and the experience of schadenfreude

•Schadenfreude was assessed using subjective and objective measures.•Dark Triad traits are related to a greater intensity of reported schadenfreude.•Dark Triad traits are related to increased smiling for more severe misfortunes.•Dark Triad traits are predictive of seeking out stimuli of others in pain.

This study was the first to investigate the relation between Dark Triad personality traits and the experience of schadenfreude. Participants (N = 120) were assigned to one of three priming conditions: empathy, schadenfreude, or neutral. After reading a vignette priming one of the three emotional states, each participant was exposed to a photographic image showing an unfortunate event experienced by the individual described in the vignette. All participants were shown the same four images and completed an evaluation form about their subjective emotional reactions to each image. Further, their facial expression reactions to each image were video-recorded and coded for smile presence and intensity. Results indicated positive relationships between Dark Triad traits and both self-reported schadenfreude and objective smile intensity. Higher Dark Triad scores also were associated with self-reported increased schadenfreude in daily life and a propensity to seek out related stimuli.