Richard H. Smith Ph.D.

About

Richard H. Smith, Ph.D., has edited or co-edited two volumes on envy, Envy: Theory and Research, 2008, and Envy at Work and in Organizations, 2016. He has authored a book on schadenfreude, The Joy of Pain: Schadenfreude and the Dark Side of Human Nature, 2013, a novel, Blockbuster, 2020, and has published two collections of photographs, Neighborhood Watch and Humanoids. Smith taught at the University of Kentucky.

The aim of Social Joy and Pain is to explore the pleasures and displeasures that result from our learning about and interacting with other people.

Books by Richard H. Smith Ph.D.

Recent Posts

The Thrill and Agony of March Madness

Are there many better feelings than when your team wins and a rival team loses? Are there many worse feelings than when your team loses and a rival team wins?

Luck in War and the Sorrows of What Might Have Been

If you had any doubts about the frequent role of luck in deciding life and death in war, read James Keresey's sobering memoir of his experiences as a PT boat captain in WW II.

Reciprocity Can Save Your Life

An amazing story told by novelist Fredrick Forsyth shows how helping others selflessly can redound, sometimes with unexpected, life-saving benefits.

When Someone Treats You Badly: Are You the Cause?

There is a often simple but effective way to solve the attributional problem of why someone has behaved toward you in an unexpectedly negative way.

Even Robert Oppenheimer Felt Envy

One might assume that the most talented and accomplished people are immune to envy. The experience of Robert Oppenheimer suggests otherwise.

How Stereotyping Easily Permeates the Way We Think About Others

It is hard to avoid using stereotypes when meeting new people. Confronting subtle but disturbing examples of this tendency can help.

How to Avoid the Fundamental Attribution Error

It's easy to blame people for their negative behaviors using personality attributions. Maybe this example will help prevent the tendency from being quite so automatic.

The Bearable Silence of Gratitude

We are unaware of many of the positive effects we have on others. This is the way of the world. Don't let this stop you from being a positive influence.

Schadenfreude and Gluckschmerz in the Time of COVID-19

The political season and COVID-19 encourage counter-empathic emotions. Only when we come together as Americans might this change.

Just When We Thought It Was Safe to Go Back into the Water

The parallels between the movie Jaws and how the United States has managed the coronavirus are extraordinary. We would do well to watch it again and use it as a cautionary tale.