Germans have a word for it —— schadenfreude —— and when it comes to getting pleasure from someone else's misfortune， men seem to enjoy it more than women.
Such is the conclusion reached by scientists at University College London in what they say is the first neuroscientific evidence of schadenfreude.
Using brain-imaging techniques， they compared how men and women reacted when watching other people suffer pain.
If the sufferer was someone they liked， areas of the brain linked to empathy and pain were activated in both sexes.
Women had a similar response if they disliked the person experiencing the pain but men showed a surge in the reward areas of the brain.
"The women had a diminished empathic response，" said Dr Klaas Enoo Stephan， a co-author of the report. "But it was still there， whereas in the men it was completely absent，" he added in an interview.
The scientists， who reported their findings in the journal Nature， said the research shows that empathic responses in men are shaped by the perceived fairness of others.
"Empathic responses to other people are not automatic， as has been assumed in the past， but depend on the emotional link to the person who is observed suffering，" Stephan said.
In the two-part study， 32 men and women volunteers played a game in which they exchanged money with four other people who were actors playing a part.
The actors were either fair characters， who returned equal amounts of cash that have been given to them， or unfair people who gave little or no money back to the volunteers.
In the second part of the experiment， the volunteers were placed in magnetic imaging brain scanners as they watched the actors receiving a mild electric shock， similar to a bee sting.
The scientists measured reactions of the volunteers in areas of the brain associated with pain and empathy and reward while the actors experienced pain.
The responses shown in the brain images were backed up with questionnaires filled in by the volunteers. Men admitted to having a much higher desire for revenge than women and derived satisfaction from seeing the unfair person being punished.
"We will need to confirm these gender differences in larger studies because it is possible the experimental design favoured men as there was a physical rather than psychological or financial threat involved，" said Dr Tania Singer， who led the study.英國科學(xué)家最新公布的一份研究報告指出，當(dāng)目睹他人遭受痛苦時，男人比女人顯得更加幸災(zāi)樂禍。
據(jù)路透社1月18日報道，得出上述結(jié)論的英國大學(xué)研究人員表示，這是“幸災(zāi)樂禍”第一次有了來自神經(jīng)科學(xué)方面的證據(jù)。通過大腦掃描圖，科學(xué)家對比了男人和女人目睹他人遭受痛苦時的不同反應(yīng)。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果經(jīng)受痛苦的人是自己喜歡的人，男性和女性大腦中與痛苦和移情作用（即對受痛苦者產(chǎn)生同感和同情）有關(guān)的區(qū)域會產(chǎn)生反應(yīng)。但如果經(jīng)受痛苦的是自己反感的人，男性和女性的大腦反應(yīng)就有了差別：女性大腦的反應(yīng)變化不大，而男性則完全不同。
研究人員斯蒂芬博士指出：“目睹自己反感的人經(jīng)受痛苦時，女性的感情移入反應(yīng)有所減少，但仍然存在，即對受痛苦者的同情感只是有所減少；而男性的同情感則完全消失。”
研究人員將這項科研結(jié)論發(fā)表在最新一期的《自然》雜志上，并指出，男性對受痛苦者的同情是由對該人感情上的好惡來決定的。斯蒂芬解釋說：“研究結(jié)果證明，人們對他人的感情移入反應(yīng)并非機械的，而是由目擊者與經(jīng)受痛苦者之間的情感關(guān)系來決定?！?BR> 報道說，研究人員一共對32名男性和女性進(jìn)行了實驗測試。測試共分兩個階段。在第1階段里，4名特定人員與受試者進(jìn)行了交換現(xiàn)金的游戲。在這4個人中，有的人將從受試者那里得到的錢如數(shù)交還，有的只退還一部分或者一分不退。
在實驗的第2階段，受試者目睹這4名特定人員遭受輕微電擊（類似被蜜蜂刺痛的感覺）的過程。同時，研究人員紀(jì)錄下受試者腦中與痛苦和移情作用有關(guān)的區(qū)域的反應(yīng)。最終，大腦掃描圖顯示的結(jié)果表明，男性的復(fù)仇欲望比女性更強烈，他們看見那些和自己進(jìn)行不公平現(xiàn)金交換的人遭受痛苦時會有滿足感。這一結(jié)果與受試者在問卷調(diào)查中的回答一致。
不過，研究負(fù)責(zé)人辛格指出：“我們需要在更大的范圍內(nèi)來證實男女在感情移入方面的不同?？赡茉O(shè)計其它的實驗，如人們面對的是身體威脅而不是心理或經(jīng)濟威脅時的反應(yīng)，那樣的實驗結(jié)果很有可能有所不同?！?BR>
Such is the conclusion reached by scientists at University College London in what they say is the first neuroscientific evidence of schadenfreude.
Using brain-imaging techniques， they compared how men and women reacted when watching other people suffer pain.
If the sufferer was someone they liked， areas of the brain linked to empathy and pain were activated in both sexes.
Women had a similar response if they disliked the person experiencing the pain but men showed a surge in the reward areas of the brain.
"The women had a diminished empathic response，" said Dr Klaas Enoo Stephan， a co-author of the report. "But it was still there， whereas in the men it was completely absent，" he added in an interview.
The scientists， who reported their findings in the journal Nature， said the research shows that empathic responses in men are shaped by the perceived fairness of others.
"Empathic responses to other people are not automatic， as has been assumed in the past， but depend on the emotional link to the person who is observed suffering，" Stephan said.
In the two-part study， 32 men and women volunteers played a game in which they exchanged money with four other people who were actors playing a part.
The actors were either fair characters， who returned equal amounts of cash that have been given to them， or unfair people who gave little or no money back to the volunteers.
In the second part of the experiment， the volunteers were placed in magnetic imaging brain scanners as they watched the actors receiving a mild electric shock， similar to a bee sting.
The scientists measured reactions of the volunteers in areas of the brain associated with pain and empathy and reward while the actors experienced pain.
The responses shown in the brain images were backed up with questionnaires filled in by the volunteers. Men admitted to having a much higher desire for revenge than women and derived satisfaction from seeing the unfair person being punished.
"We will need to confirm these gender differences in larger studies because it is possible the experimental design favoured men as there was a physical rather than psychological or financial threat involved，" said Dr Tania Singer， who led the study.英國科學(xué)家最新公布的一份研究報告指出，當(dāng)目睹他人遭受痛苦時，男人比女人顯得更加幸災(zāi)樂禍。
據(jù)路透社1月18日報道，得出上述結(jié)論的英國大學(xué)研究人員表示，這是“幸災(zāi)樂禍”第一次有了來自神經(jīng)科學(xué)方面的證據(jù)。通過大腦掃描圖，科學(xué)家對比了男人和女人目睹他人遭受痛苦時的不同反應(yīng)。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果經(jīng)受痛苦的人是自己喜歡的人，男性和女性大腦中與痛苦和移情作用（即對受痛苦者產(chǎn)生同感和同情）有關(guān)的區(qū)域會產(chǎn)生反應(yīng)。但如果經(jīng)受痛苦的是自己反感的人，男性和女性的大腦反應(yīng)就有了差別：女性大腦的反應(yīng)變化不大，而男性則完全不同。
研究人員斯蒂芬博士指出：“目睹自己反感的人經(jīng)受痛苦時，女性的感情移入反應(yīng)有所減少，但仍然存在，即對受痛苦者的同情感只是有所減少；而男性的同情感則完全消失。”
研究人員將這項科研結(jié)論發(fā)表在最新一期的《自然》雜志上，并指出，男性對受痛苦者的同情是由對該人感情上的好惡來決定的。斯蒂芬解釋說：“研究結(jié)果證明，人們對他人的感情移入反應(yīng)并非機械的，而是由目擊者與經(jīng)受痛苦者之間的情感關(guān)系來決定?！?BR> 報道說，研究人員一共對32名男性和女性進(jìn)行了實驗測試。測試共分兩個階段。在第1階段里，4名特定人員與受試者進(jìn)行了交換現(xiàn)金的游戲。在這4個人中，有的人將從受試者那里得到的錢如數(shù)交還，有的只退還一部分或者一分不退。
在實驗的第2階段，受試者目睹這4名特定人員遭受輕微電擊（類似被蜜蜂刺痛的感覺）的過程。同時，研究人員紀(jì)錄下受試者腦中與痛苦和移情作用有關(guān)的區(qū)域的反應(yīng)。最終，大腦掃描圖顯示的結(jié)果表明，男性的復(fù)仇欲望比女性更強烈，他們看見那些和自己進(jìn)行不公平現(xiàn)金交換的人遭受痛苦時會有滿足感。這一結(jié)果與受試者在問卷調(diào)查中的回答一致。
不過，研究負(fù)責(zé)人辛格指出：“我們需要在更大的范圍內(nèi)來證實男女在感情移入方面的不同?？赡茉O(shè)計其它的實驗，如人們面對的是身體威脅而不是心理或經(jīng)濟威脅時的反應(yīng)，那樣的實驗結(jié)果很有可能有所不同?！?BR>