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As unfortunate as these costly mistakes are, you can’t deny the funny element in them. You may have found yourself giggling while looking at a few of these photos, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad person.
It does, however, say a lot about how you view your self-worth, according to psychologist Dr. Mark Travers.
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As Dr. Travers explains, Schadenfreude, or the guilty pleasure we feel when we see another person fail, can be like a “shot of self-esteem.”
“Psychologists refer to this as ‘downward social comparison,’” he said. “(It reminds) that you may not be so bad after all, and that others are worse off.”
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On the flip side, Schadenfreude can also feel like “cosmic justice,” Dr. Travers says. This is especially true when seeing malevolent individuals get what is coming to them.
“When a repeat offender in the bad-behavior department gets their karma, you can’t help but feel a sense of justice served. It feels like the universe is giving them a little nudge to shape up,” Dr. Travers said, noting that it helps “maintain a sense of fairness” in the world.
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Meanwhile, looking at the photos may also make you feel for the individuals who made these costly mistakes. One possible explanation is that they were under immense pressure, causing them to fumble.
According to cognitive scientist Sian Beilock, choking under pressure is more an indicator of suboptimal performance, where you make a mistake because you feel the need to get everything right.
Performance anxiety may happen whenever you’re doing something that requires your full attention. It can happen even with an endeavor or activity you’ve done many times before. This is why Beilock advises focusing on the present, not on the outcome.
“Remind yourself that you have the background to succeed and that you are in control of the situation,” she said. “This can be the confidence boost you need to ace your pitch or to succeed in other ways when facing life’s challenges.”
