Unfair Exclusion Leads to Schadenfreude: The Role of Perceived Deservingness

Poster Session V

Friday May 23, 2025 (19:30 - 20:30 ET)
Keyword: Other

Abstract: We manipulated fairness of ostracism in Cyberball game with 479 participants (47% men, Mage = 46). The unfair exclusion condition produced higher schadenfreude toward excluders compared to fair ostracism or inclusion conditions (F(2,476) = 10.04, p < .001, d = 0.45), demonstrating that perceived fairness affects emotional responses toward ostracizers.