Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Schadenfreude, malicious and benign envy are associated with low body mass index in restrictive-type anorexia nervosa

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

According to the Cognitive-Interpersonal Maintenance Model of anorexia nervosa, social factors are involved in the maintenance and development of this disorder. Therefore, this study aimed to test whether patients with restrictive-type anorexia nervosa (AN-R) experience malicious envy (negative emotions associated with the wish that others lack their superior quality), benign envy (negative emotions associated with the desire to reach and obtain the others’ superior quality) and Schadenfreude (pleasure at the misfortunes of others) with a higher intensity than healthy controls (HC).

Methods

26 AN-R patients and 32 HC completed scenarios that aimed to induce envy and Schadenfreude and completed questionnaires measuring envy, self-esteem and social comparison.

Results

AN-R patients reported more benign envy than HC. Interestingly, higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with less Schadenfreude, malicious and benign envy in AN-R only.

Conclusions

This study shows that AN-R patients present higher motivation to evolve when facing others’ superior quality (i.e., benign envy). It also underlines the importance of considering social factors in the maintenance of AN-R and the role of BMI when examining emotions related to others’ fortune.

Level of evidence

Level III, case-control analytic study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Participants had to rate the four items from [12] (“I would like to be in the position of (…)”, “I’m jealous of (…),” “I would like to be in the shoes of (…)”, and “I feel less good when I compare my own results with those of (…)”) and one additional item designed to explicitly measure malicious envy (“I would like (…) to fail”). According to a factorial analysis on the whole sample (Promax rotation), four out of the five items presented factor loadings > .40 on either one out of two factors, namely benign (2 items; “I would like to be in the position of (…)”, “I would like to be in the shoes of (…)”) and malicious envy (2 items; I’m jealous of (…),” I would like (…) to fail”).

References

  1. Ambwani S, Berenson KR, Simms L et al (2016) Seeing things differently: an experimental investigation of social cognition and interpersonal behavior in anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 49:499–506. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22498

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Oldershaw A, Hambrook D, Stahl D et al (2011) The socio-emotional processing stream in anorexia nervosa. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 35:970–988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.11.001

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Schmidt U, Treasure J (2006) Anorexia nervosa: valued and visible. A cognitive-interpersonal maintenance model and its implications for research and practice. Br J Clin Psychol 45:343–366

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Treasure J, Schmidt U (2013) The cognitive-interpersonal maintenance model of anorexia nervosa revisited: a summary of the evidence for cognitive, socio-emotional and interpersonal predisposing and perpetuating factors. J Eat Disord 1:13. https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-2974-1-13

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Caglar-Nazali HP, Corfield F, Cardi V et al (2014) A systematic review and meta-analysis of ‘Systems for Social Processes’ in eating disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 42:55–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.12.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Nandrino J-L, Ducro C, Iachini T, Coello Y (2017) Perception of peripersonal and interpersonal space in patients with restrictive-type anorexia. Eur Eat Disord Rev J Eat Disord Assoc 25:179–187. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Tchanturia K, Davies H, Harrison A et al (2012) Altered social hedonic processing in eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord 45:962–969. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22032

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Jankowski KF, Takahashi H (2014) Cognitive neuroscience of social emotions and implications for psychopathology: examining embarrassment, guilt, envy, and schadenfreude. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 68:319–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12182

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Parrott WG, Smith RH (1993) Distinguishing the experiences of envy and jealousy. J Pers Soc Psychol 64:906–920

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Crusius J, Mussweiler T (2012) When people want what others have: the impulsive side of envious desire. Emot Wash DC 12:142–153. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. van de Ven N, Zeelenberg M, Pieters R (2012) Appraisal patterns of envy and related emotions. Motiv Emot 36:195–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-011-9235-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. van Dijk Ouwerkerk JW, Goslinga S et al (2006) When people fall from grace: reconsidering the role of envy in Schadenfreude. Emot Wash DC 6:156–160. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.6.1.156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. van de Ven N, Hoogland CE, Smith RH et al (2015) When envy leads to schadenfreude. Cogn Emot 29:1007–1025. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2014.961903

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Jung K, Karasawa K (2016) How we view people who feel joy in our misfortune. Korean J Soc Pers Psychol 30:41–61

    Google Scholar 

  15. van de Ven N (2017) Envy and admiration: emotion and motivation following upward social comparison. Cogn Emot 31:193–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2015.1087972

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Vrabel JK, Zeigler-Hill V, Southard AC (2018) Self-esteem and envy: is state self-esteem instability associated with the benign and malicious forms of envy? Pers Individ Differ 123:100–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.11.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lange J, Crusius J, Hagemeyer B (2019) The Evil Queen’s dilemma: linking narcissistic admiration and rivalry to benign and malicious envy. Eur J Pers Banner. 1:1. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/zs7mc

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Connan F, Troop N, Landau S et al (2007) Poor social comparison and the tendency to submissive behavior in anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 40:733–739. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.20427

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Doba K, Nandrino J-L, Dodin V, Antoine P (2014) Is there a family profile of addictive behaviors? Family functioning in anorexia nervosa and drug dependence disorder. J Clin Psychol 70:107–117. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21977

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Myers TA, Crowther JH (2009) Social comparison as a predictor of body dissatisfaction: a meta-analytic review. J Abnorm Psychol 118:683–698. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016763

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. van Dijk Ouwerkerk JW, Wesseling YM, van Koningsbruggen GM (2011) Towards understanding pleasure at the misfortunes of others: the impact of self-evaluation threat on schadenfreude. Cogn Emot 25:360–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2010.487365

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. van Dijk A, van Koningsbruggen GM, Ouwerkerk JW, Wesseling YM (2011) Self-esteem, self-affirmation, and schadenfreude. Emot Wash DC 11:1445–1449. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Jin SV (2018) Interactive effects of Instagram Foodies’ Hashtagged #Foodporn and Peer Users’ eating disorder on eating intention, envy, parasocial interaction, and online friendship. Cyberpsychology Behav Soc Netw 21:157–167. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Skårderud F (2007) Shame and pride in anorexia nervosa: a qualitative descriptive study. Eur Eat Disord Rev J Eat Disord Assoc 15:81–97. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.774

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Isobe M, Kawabata M, Murao E et al (2018) Exaggerated envy and guilt measured by economic games in Japanese women with anorexia nervosa. Biopsychosoc Med 12:19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-018-0138-8

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edn. American Psychiatric Association, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  27. Lecrubier Y, Sheehan D, Weiller E et al (1997) The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). A short diagnostic structured interview: reliability and validity according to the CIDI. Eur Psychiatry 12:224–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-9338(97)83296-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Porter S, Bhanwer A, Woodworth M, Black PJ (2014) Soldiers of misfortune: an examination of the Dark Triad and the experience of schadenfreude. Pers Individ Differ 67:64–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.11.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. van Dijk Goslinga S, Ouwerkerk JW (2008) Impact of responsibility for a misfortune on schadenfreude and sympathy: further evidence. J Soc Psychol 148:631–636. https://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.148.5.631-636

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Michinov E, Michinov N (2001) The similarity hypothesis: a test of the moderating role of social comparison orientation. Eur J Soc Psychol 31:549–555

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Gibbons FX, Buunk BP (1999) Individual differences in social comparison: development of a scale of social comparison orientation. J Pers Soc Psychol 76:129–142

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Vallières EF, Vallerand RJ (1990) Traduction et validation Canadienne-Française de l’Échelle de l’Estime de Soi de Rosenberg. [French-Canadian translation and validation of Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale.]. Int J Psychol 25:305–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207599008247865

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Lange J, Crusius J (2015) Dispositional envy revisited: unraveling the motivational dynamics of benign and malicious envy. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 41:284–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214564959

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. van de Ven N, Zeelenberg M, Pieters R (2011) Why envy outperforms admiration. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 37:784–795. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211400421

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Treasure J, Crane A, McKnight R et al (2011) First do no harm: iatrogenic maintaining factors in anorexia nervosa. Eur Eat Disord Rev J Eat Disord Assoc 19:296–302. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.1056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Brown TA, Holland LA, Keel PK (2014) Comparing operational definitions of DSM-5 anorexia nervosa for research contexts. Int J Eat Disord 47:76–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22184

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Reas DL, Rø Ø (2017) Investigating the DSM-5 severity specifiers based on thinness for adults with anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 50:990–994. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22729

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Brockmeyer T, Holtforth MG, Bents H et al (2013) The thinner the better: self-esteem and low body weight in anorexia nervosa. Clin Psychol Psychother 20:394–400. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1771

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Paterson G, Power K, Yellowlees A et al (2007) The relationship between two-dimensional self-esteem and problem solving style in an anorexic inpatient sample. Eur Eat Disord Rev 15:70–77. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.708

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Tchanturia K, Harrison A, Davies H et al (2011) Cognitive flexibility and clinical severity in eating disorders. PLoS ONE 6:e20462. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020462

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Ortner CNM, Marie MS, Corno D (2016) Cognitive costs of reappraisal depend on both emotional stimulus intensity and individual differences in habitual reappraisal. PLoS ONE 11:e0167253. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167253

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Duclos J, Dorard G, Berthoz S et al (2014) Expressed emotion in anorexia nervosa: what is inside the “black box”? Compr Psychiatry 55:71–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.10.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Toman E (2002) Body mass index and its impact on the therapeutic alliance in the work with eating disorder patients. Eur Eat Disord Rev 10:168–178. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Arigo D, Schumacher L, Martin LM (2014) Upward appearance comparison and the development of eating pathology in college women. Int J Eat Disord 47:467–470. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22240

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Troop NA, Allan S, Treasure JL, Katzman M (2003) Social comparison and submissive behaviour in eating disorder patients. Psychol Psychother 76:237–249. https://doi.org/10.1348/147608303322362479

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Cikara M, Fiske ST (2013) Their pain, our pleasure: stereotype content and schadenfreude. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1299:52–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12179

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Univ. Lille, CNRS, CHU Lille, F-59000, Lille, France

    Delphine Grynberg, Jean-Louis Nandrino, Jeanne Duclos & Olivier Cottencin

  2. Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France

    Delphine Grynberg

  3. Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Nicolas Vermeulen, Olivier Luminet & Philippe de Timary

  4. Hôpital Erasme - Cliniques universitaires de Bruxelles, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

    Serge Goffinet

  5. Clinique La Ramée, Brussels, Belgium

    Judith Dereau

  6. Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Department, CHU Lille, F-59000, Lille, France

    Olivier Cottencin

  7. University of Lille, F-59000, Lille, France

    Delphine Grynberg

Authors
  1. Delphine Grynberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean-Louis Nandrino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nicolas Vermeulen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Olivier Luminet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jeanne Duclos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Serge Goffinet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Judith Dereau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Olivier Cottencin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Philippe de Timary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Delphine Grynberg.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional board and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 16 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Grynberg, D., Nandrino, JL., Vermeulen, N. et al. Schadenfreude, malicious and benign envy are associated with low body mass index in restrictive-type anorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord 25, 1071–1078 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00731-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00731-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation