Do you giggle when somebody falls down. Don’t feel bad.

Do you feel the urge to laugh when someone else fails? 

While that might seem a little harsh, it’s a perfectly normal reaction. It’s a phenomenon known as shadenfreude. That’s a German compound word meaning damage and joy. Research from Princeton University found that most of us feel a sudden mix of emotions at the misfortune of others from time to time. It’s a reaction triggered by a sudden boost of self esteem or victory at someone else’s expense. 

So are you evil if you giggle at someone else’s blunder or fall? Not necessarily. Blame shadenfreude. That simultaneous feeling of superiority and concern can manifest itself in the form of seemingly inappropriate laughter.