The Opposite of Schadenfreude: How to Find Happiness in Others' Success through Freudenfreude
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Join us as we explore the concept of Freudenfreude, the feeling of joy in another's joy. Discover how cultivating this positive emotion can enhance your relationships, bring happiness into your life, and create a supportive community.

Hello, welcome back. Recently in our community, we discussed common communication roadblocks that people encounter in their personal and professional lives. And we brainstormed strategies for overcoming them. Members shared insightful examples, and we learned a lot. If you would like to take part in those, I'd encourage you to join our community, Explearning Academy, and you can sign up at academy.explearning.co.

We'd love to have you.

Today's lesson is all about cultivating an important personality trait. That will enable you to have better relationships and friendships. You've probably heard of Schadenfreude but have you heard of its angelic counterpart, Freudenfreude? I'll fill you in. Let's get into it. 

Freudenfreud is a German word that means joy in another's joy. It's the feeling of happiness that comes from seeing others happy and experiencing their joy.

This concept is similar to the English phrase, schadenfreude, which means taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune. However, while schadenfreude is a negative emotion, Freudenfreud is a positive one. 

Cultivating Freudenfreud can help you build stronger, more positive relationships with others and can bring joy and happiness into your own life as well. Cultivating Freudenfreud can help you be more social because it can make you more approachable and likable to others. When you're able to genuinely share in the joy of others and celebrate their successes, you can create a deeper sense of connection and understanding between yourself and others.

This can make others feel more comfortable and open around you and can encourage them to seek out your company and engage with you more. Additionally, being able to feel joy for others can make social interactions more enjoyable and fulfilling for you, which can motivate you to be more social and seek out more opportunities for social interaction with others.

So now the question is, how can you cultivate Freudenfreud? Well, Freudenfreud is that feeling of joy that comes from seeing others happy, as we mentioned. So in order to cultivate this feeling, you can try to focus on the positive aspects of other people's lives and celebrate their wins and their successes.

This can be as simple as expressing genuine happiness for a friend when they accomplish something, or sharing in their excitement when something good happens to them. You can also try to be more empathetic and understanding towards others. Which can help you connect with them on a deeper level and feel joy when they're happy.

Additionally, practicing gratitude and focusing on the good things in your own life can help you develop a more positive outlook and increase your ability to feel joy for others. 

Here are some concrete examples of showing Freudenfreud. Congratulating a friend or a loved one on their accomplishment, such as getting a promotion or graduating from school, sharing in the excitement of a friend or family member who is going on a trip or experiencing something new. Celebrating a holiday or a special occasion with friends and loved ones and enjoying the joy and happiness that comes with it.

Being genuinely happy for someone who is experiencing good fortune or good news. Listening empathetically to someone who is happy and excited about something and expressing your own joy for them. Saying kind and supportive things to someone who is going through a difficult time and showing them that you are there for them, and will be happy for them when things start looking up. 

Why is it important to cultivate freudenfreude? Cultivating freudenfreude is important because it can help you build stronger relationships with others and create a more positive and supportive community. When you are able to share in the joy of others and genuinely celebrate their successes, you can create a deeper sense of connection and understanding between yourself and others. This can also help you to feel more fulfilled and satisfied in your own life, as seeing others happy can bring you joy and happiness as well. Additionally, practicing freudenfreude can help you develop a more positive outlook and reduce negative emotions such as envy and resentment.

All in all, cultivating freudenfreude can have many positive benefits for both yourself and those around you.

Are you ready to put this into practice? I have a set of quests for you to complete if you are a member of our private community Explearning Academy. So if you would like the quests, the plan of exercises, the discussion and workshop that goes along with it, and an opportunity to ask me your questions and interact with me, and the global community live, then you can sign up for our community by going to academy.explearning.co or sign up use the link down below. 

In conclusion, freudenfreude is the feeling of joy that comes from seeing others happy. Cultivating this feeling can bring about positive benefits, both for yourself and for those around you.

It can help you build stronger, more supportive and positive relationships with others, and create a more supportive and joyful network and community. Additionally, practicing freudenfreude can help you develop a more optimistic outlook, and reduce negative emotions such as envy and resentment.

Overall, freudenfreude is an important concept to understand and cultivate as it can have many positive effects on your mental health, your relationships, and your overall wellbeing.

All right Explearners. Thank you for joining me for this lesson. I do hope that you liked it. If you did, give it a thumbs up on YouTube. Be sure that you are subscribed and following so that you don't miss a beat over here. And also if you like to listen to podcasts, you can check out ours as well. Available on all podcast platforms, wherever you listen to your podcasts. And be sure to check out the blog as well, explearning.co. You can also sign up for our community where you're gonna get daily touchpoints with me and access to our entire library of web courses, as well as our updated lessons and live workshops and discussions with me and the rest of our community.

So if you are interested in that, then you can sign up by going to the link down below or just going to academy.explearning.co. All right. See you there and Happy Explearning.

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:


Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

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