Germans have a word for it -- schadenfreude -- and when it comes to getting pleasure from someone else's misfortune, men seem to enjoy it more than women. Such is the conclusion reached by scientists at University College London in what they say is the first neuroscientific(1) evidence of schadenfreude.

Using brain-imaging techniques, they compared how men and women reacted when watching other people suffer pain.

If the sufferer was someone they liked, areas of the brain linked to empathy and pain were activated in both sexes. To those they disliked women had a similar response, but men showed a surge(2) in the reward areas of the brain.

"The women had a diminished(3) empathic response(4)," said Dr Stephan, a co-author of the report. "But it was still there, whereas in the men it was completely absent(5)."

The scientists said the research shows that empathic responses in men are shaped by the perceived fairness of others." Empathic responses to other people are not automatic, as has been assumed in the past, but depend on the emotional link to the person who is observed suffering," Stephan said.

In the two-part study, 32 men and women volunteers played a game in which they exchanged money with four other people who were actors playing a part. The actors were either fair(6) characters, who returned equal amounts of cash that have been given to them, or unfair people who gave little or no money back to the volunteers.

In the second part of the experiment, the volunteers were placed in magnetic(7) imaging brain scanners(8) as they watched the actors receiving a mild(9) electric shock, similar to a bee sting. The scientists measured reactions of the volunteers in areas of the brain associated with pain and empathy and reward while the actors experienced pain.

The responses shown in the brain images were backed up with questionnaires(10) filled in by the volunteers. Men admitted to having a much higher desire for revenge than women and derived(11) satisfaction from seeing the unfair person being punished.

"We will need to confirm these gender(12) differences in larger studies because it is possible the experimental design favoured(13) men as there was a physical rather than psychological or financial threat involved," said Dr Tania Singer, who led the study.

德语中有一个词专用于形容幸灾乐祸：“schadenfreude”。伦敦尤尼弗斯特大学科学家从神经学方面证实：男性比女性更容易幸灾乐祸。

科学家们利用脑电波成像技术比较男性和女性在看到别人受苦时的脑部反应。

如果受难者是他们喜欢的人，男女脑中负责同情和痛苦区域的反应同样活跃。如果受难者是他们反感的人，女人的反应没有太大变化，但是男人脑中的奖赏区域的反应却十分剧烈

报告合作作者斯戴芬博士说：“女性的移情反应有所减弱，至少还有，但是男性的根本就消失了。”

科学家们说研究表明，男性是否会产生移情反应取决于他人是否曾善待他。斯戴芬说，同情并非如我们曾经认为的那样是自发的，而是取决于受难者与自己的情感关系。

这项研究分成两个步骤，共有32个志愿者参加。首先每个志愿者与4个工作人员换钱。有的“正直”的工作人员交还了同样数量的钱，但其他“不正直”的人要么只还一点要么干脆不还。

第二部分中，志愿者们戴着电磁脑部扫描设备观看工作人员遭受轻度的电击（像被蜜蜂蜇了一下）。同时，科学家们记录下他们脑部有关同情、痛苦和回报区域的活动情况。科学家们同时记录下他们脑部有关同情、痛感和回报的区域的活动情况。

志愿者们在调查问卷中的回答也进一步证实了脑部扫描结果的准确性。男性志愿者承认他们有更强的报复心理，看到对他们不公正的人受苦能获得满足感。

坦尼亚辛格·博士说：“科学家们认为仍需要进行更大规模的研究来验证这一性别差异。因为此次试验主要针对生理的威胁，而不是心理或财务危机，可能会导致男性反应比女性剧烈。”