Listen free for 30 days
-
The Joy of Pain
- Schadenfreude and the Dark Side of Human Nature
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Health & Wellness, Psychology & Mental Health
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £16.49
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Cringeworthy
- By: Melissa Dahl
- Narrated by: Melissa Dahl
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever said good-bye to someone, only to discover that you're both walking in the same direction? Or had your next thought fly out of your brain in the middle of a presentation? Or accidentally liked an old photo on someone's Instagram or Facebook, thus revealing yourself to be a creepy social media stalker? Melissa Dahl, New York magazine's Science of Us editor, has experienced all of those awkward situations and many more. Now she offers a thoughtful, original take on what it really means to feel awkward.
-
-
Relatable, well-researched
- By Anonymous User on 19-07-20
-
Man's Search for Meaning
- By: Viktor E. Frankl
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally renowned psychiatrist, Viktor E. Frankl, endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps. During, and partly because of his suffering, Dr. Frankl developed a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core of his theory is the belief that man's primary motivational force is his search for meaning.
-
-
Potentially life changing...
- By Jim Vaughan on 02-12-12
-
The Character Gap
- How Good Are We?
- By: Christian B. Miller
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We like to think of ourselves, our friends, and our families as decent people. We may not be saints, but we are still honest, relatively kind, and mostly trustworthy. Christian Miller argues here that we are badly mistaken in thinking this. Hundreds of recent studies in psychology tell a different story: that we all have serious character flaws that prevent us from being as good as we think we are - and that we do not even recognize that these flaws exist.
-
Ha!
- The Science of When We Laugh and Why
- By: Scott Weems
- Narrated by: Kalen Allmandinger
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there a way to figure out what we really find funnyand why? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, cognitive neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what’s happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. While we typically think of humor in terms of jokes or comic timing, in Ha! Weems proposes a provocative new model.
-
-
Very well structured exploration of humor
- By Peter Piper on 16-04-15
-
Take Pride
- Why the Deadliest Sin Holds the Secret to Human Success
- By: Jessica Tracy
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why did Paul Gauguin abandon middle-class life to follow the path of a starving artist? What inspired Bill Gates to give away so much of his hard-won fortune? How has Donald Trump succeeded so excessively, when his winning style could easily be his greatest liability? As the renowned emotion researcher Jessica Tracy reveals in Take Pride, each of these superachievers has been motivated by an often maligned emotion: pride.
-
-
A practical and insightful review of pride
- By Amazon Customer on 29-01-22
-
Fragile Bully
- Understanding Our Destructive Affair with Narcissism in the Age of Trump
- By: Laurie Helgoe PhD, Paul L. Wachtel - foreword
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America loves narcissism, and America loves to hate narcissists. Narcissism is part of the assumed “national character” of Americans, according to a 2015 survey of views from home and abroad. While those meeting the criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the United States are actually quite few, those exploitive few have a way of gaining center stage in our culture.
-
-
Personality and Culture: a Fascinating Collision
- By Andy on 07-10-19
-
Cringeworthy
- By: Melissa Dahl
- Narrated by: Melissa Dahl
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever said good-bye to someone, only to discover that you're both walking in the same direction? Or had your next thought fly out of your brain in the middle of a presentation? Or accidentally liked an old photo on someone's Instagram or Facebook, thus revealing yourself to be a creepy social media stalker? Melissa Dahl, New York magazine's Science of Us editor, has experienced all of those awkward situations and many more. Now she offers a thoughtful, original take on what it really means to feel awkward.
-
-
Relatable, well-researched
- By Anonymous User on 19-07-20
-
Man's Search for Meaning
- By: Viktor E. Frankl
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally renowned psychiatrist, Viktor E. Frankl, endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps. During, and partly because of his suffering, Dr. Frankl developed a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core of his theory is the belief that man's primary motivational force is his search for meaning.
-
-
Potentially life changing...
- By Jim Vaughan on 02-12-12
-
The Character Gap
- How Good Are We?
- By: Christian B. Miller
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We like to think of ourselves, our friends, and our families as decent people. We may not be saints, but we are still honest, relatively kind, and mostly trustworthy. Christian Miller argues here that we are badly mistaken in thinking this. Hundreds of recent studies in psychology tell a different story: that we all have serious character flaws that prevent us from being as good as we think we are - and that we do not even recognize that these flaws exist.
-
Ha!
- The Science of When We Laugh and Why
- By: Scott Weems
- Narrated by: Kalen Allmandinger
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there a way to figure out what we really find funnyand why? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, cognitive neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what’s happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. While we typically think of humor in terms of jokes or comic timing, in Ha! Weems proposes a provocative new model.
-
-
Very well structured exploration of humor
- By Peter Piper on 16-04-15
-
Take Pride
- Why the Deadliest Sin Holds the Secret to Human Success
- By: Jessica Tracy
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why did Paul Gauguin abandon middle-class life to follow the path of a starving artist? What inspired Bill Gates to give away so much of his hard-won fortune? How has Donald Trump succeeded so excessively, when his winning style could easily be his greatest liability? As the renowned emotion researcher Jessica Tracy reveals in Take Pride, each of these superachievers has been motivated by an often maligned emotion: pride.
-
-
A practical and insightful review of pride
- By Amazon Customer on 29-01-22
-
Fragile Bully
- Understanding Our Destructive Affair with Narcissism in the Age of Trump
- By: Laurie Helgoe PhD, Paul L. Wachtel - foreword
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America loves narcissism, and America loves to hate narcissists. Narcissism is part of the assumed “national character” of Americans, according to a 2015 survey of views from home and abroad. While those meeting the criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the United States are actually quite few, those exploitive few have a way of gaining center stage in our culture.
-
-
Personality and Culture: a Fascinating Collision
- By Andy on 07-10-19
-
The Power Paradox
- How We Gain and Lose Influence
- By: Dacher Keltner
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Machiavellian view of power as a coercive force is one of the deepest currents in our culture, yet new psychological research reveals this vision to be dead wrong. Influence is gained instead through social intelligence and empathy - but ironically the seductions of power make us lose the very qualities that made us powerful in the first place. By drawing on fascinating case studies that debunk longstanding myths, Dacher Keltner illuminates this power paradox.
-
-
Reads like a long Sunday newspaper article
- By Amazon Customer on 06-06-19
-
12 Rules for Life
- An Antidote to Chaos
- By: Jordan B. Peterson
- Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson has influenced the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics from the Bible to romantic relationships to mythology drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of unprecedented change and polarising politics, his frank and refreshing message about the value of individual responsibility and ancient wisdom has resonated around the world. In this audiobook, he provides 12 profound and practical principles for how to live a meaningful life.
-
-
Hours of the guy banging on about religion, basically
- By Mr. Leigh Riley on 17-01-20
-
The Laws of Human Nature
- By: Robert Greene
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 28 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Greene is a master guide for millions, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves.
-
-
Amazing as always
- By david joel rodrigues ferreira on 08-11-18
-
Happy
- Why More or Less Everything Is Absolutely Fine
- By: Derren Brown
- Narrated by: Derren Brown
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Happy Derren Brown explores changing concepts of happiness - from the surprisingly modern wisdom of the Stoics and Epicureans in classical times right up until today, when the self-help industry has attempted to claim happiness as its own. He shows how many of self-help’s suggested routes to happiness and success – such as positive thinking, self-belief and setting goals – can be disastrous to follow and, indeed, actually cause anxiety. Happy aims to reclaim happiness and to enable us to appreciate the good things in life, in all their transient glory.
-
-
Privileged perspective
- By Hannah G. on 01-12-20
-
Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
- A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature
- By: Douglas T. Kenrick
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between what can be learned from evolutionary psychology and cognitive science a picture emerges. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick fuses these two fields to create a coherent story of human nature. In his analysis, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors—one-night stands, prejudice, conspicuous consumption, even art and religious devotion—are quite explicable and (when desired) avoidable.
-
-
A whistle top tour of many interesting ideas
- By Mark @ M12 on 17-11-13
-
A Guide to the Good Life
- The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
- By: William B. Irvine
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient Rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life.
-
-
To the non-stoic reviewers...
- By Anonymous User on 20-01-20
-
Trump on the Couch
- Inside the Mind of the President
- By: Justin A. Frank
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders, Justin A. Frank
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Psychoanalyst Justin A. Frank takes a deep dive into the psyche of our president. Using observations gained from a close study of Trump's patterns of thought, action, and communication, Dr. Frank gives us a full portrait of the personality we saw on display during his remarkable campaign and helps us understand what has driven the decision-making during his first years in office. The result is filled with important revelations about our nation's leader and disturbing insights into his childhood, his family, his business dealings, and his unusual relationship with alternative facts.
-
The Narcissist Next Door
- Understanding the Monster in Your Family, in Your Office, in Your Bed - in Your World
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kluger
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Narcissists are everywhere. There are millions of them in the United States alone: entertainers, politicians, business people, your neighbors. Recognizing and understanding them is crucial to your not being overtaken by them, says Jeffrey Kluger, in his provocative new book about this insidious disorder. With insight and wit, Kluger frames the surprising new research on narcissism and explains the complex, exasperating personality disorder.
-
A Slap in the Face
- Why Insults Hurt - And Why They Shouldn't
- By: William B. Irvine
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Insults are part of the fabric of daily life. But why do we insult each other? Why do insults cause us such pain? Can we do anything to prevent or lessen this pain? Most importantly, how can we overcome our inclination to insult others? In A Slap in the Face, William Irvine undertakes a wide-ranging investigation of insults, their history, the role they play in social relationships, and the science behind them.
-
-
Very good book
- By Anonymous User on 08-03-21
-
Down Girl
- The Logic of Misogyny
- By: Kate Manne
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Misogyny is a hot topic, yet it's often misunderstood. What is misogyny, exactly? Who deserves to be called a misogynist? How does misogyny contrast with sexism, and why is it prone to persist - or increase - even when sexist gender roles are waning? This book is an exploration of misogyny in public life and politics by the moral philosopher Kate Manne. It argues that misogyny should not be understood primarily in terms of the hatred or hostility some men feel toward all or most women. Rather, it's primarily about controlling, policing, punishing, and exiling the "bad" women.
-
-
Academic text
- By Ragne on 29-04-21
-
Just Babies
- The Origins of Good and Evil
- By: Paul Bloom
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From John Locke to Sigmund Freud, philosophers and psychologists have long believed that we begin life as blank moral slates. Many of us take for granted that babies are born selfish and that it is the role of society - and especially parents - to transform them from little sociopaths into civilized beings. In Just Babies, Paul Bloom argues that humans are in fact hardwired with a sense of morality.
-
-
For school
- By Vixsteel on 17-02-22
-
Anger and Forgiveness
- Resentment, Generosity, Justice
- By: Martha C. Nussbaum
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this wide-ranging book, Martha C. Nussbaum, one of our leading public intellectuals, argues that anger is conceptually confused and normatively pernicious. It assumes that the suffering of the wrongdoer restores the thing that was damaged, and it betrays an all-too-lively interest in relative status and humiliation. Studying anger in intimate relationships, casual daily interactions, the workplace, the criminal justice system, and movements for social transformation, Nussbaum shows that anger's core ideas are both infantile and harmful.
-
-
Gripping and challenging
- By J. Mann on 25-06-18
Summary
Few people will easily admit to taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. But who doesn't enjoy it when an arrogant but untalented contestant is humiliated on American Idol, or when the embarrassing vice of a self-righteous politician is exposed, or even when an envied friend suffers a small setback? The truth is that joy in someone else's pain - known by the German word schadenfreude - permeates our society.
In The Joy of Pain, psychologist Richard Smith, one of the world's foremost authorities on envy and shame, sheds much light on a feeling we dare not admit. Smith argues that schadenfreude is a natural human emotion, one worth taking a closer look at, as it reveals much about who we are as human beings. We have a passion for justice. Sometimes, schadenfreude can feel like getting one's revenge, when the suffering person has previously harmed us. But most of us are also motivated to feel good about ourselves, Smith notes, and look for ways to maintain a positive sense of self. One common way to do this is to compare ourselves to others and find areas where we are better.
Similarly, the downfall of others - especially when they have seemed superior to us - can lead to a boost in our self-esteem, a lessening of feelings of inferiority. This is often at the root of schadenfreude. As the author points out, most instances of schadenfreude are harmless, on par with the pleasures of light gossip. Yet we must also be mindful that envy can motivate, without full awareness, the engineering of the misfortune we delight in. And envy-induced aggression can take us into dark territory indeed, as Smith shows as he examines the role of envy and schadenfreude in the Nazi persecution of the Jews.
Filled with engaging examples of schadenfreude, from popular reality shows to the Duke-Kentucky basketball rivalry, The Joy of Pain provides an intriguing glimpse into a hidden corner of the human psyche.
More from the same
Author
What listeners say about The Joy of Pain
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Smithep
- 11-06-14
excellent content and performance
What did you love best about The Joy of Pain?
This book has a number of excellent qualities. It brings to the surface a prevalent emotion which is nonetheless frequently denied or underreported. It blends recent scientific research with many interesting and telling historical, literary, and contemporary examples. The author's prose style is engaging but understated. The narrator does an excellent job as well. He has a good feel for the topic, and I liked the engaging way he emphasized the key points.
2 people found this helpful