Your brain finds pleasure in others' misfortune

Schadenfreude, the satisfaction some feel from another's bad luck, isn't just a cultural quirk. Research shows this 'harm-joy' has a distinct neurological basis. A 2009 study by Japanese researchers found that when people saw misfortune befall those they disliked, their brain's reward center, the ventral striatum, lit up. This area usually activates for positive rewards like food or achievements.