When public figures make announcements about their illness, audiences may be influenced to change their own health behaviors. However, if a disliked political figure becomes ill, feelings of schadenfreude, or pleasure at another’s misfortune, may arise and schadenfreude could predict news consumer’s information seeking and health-related intentions. Surveys of audience responses to news of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s lung cancer diagnosis (N = 414) and to news of Republican Senator Rand Paul’s COVID-19 diagnosis (N = 407) found that such illness announcements can evoke schadenfreude, with schadenfreude associated with decreased willingness to undertake preventative health behaviors.

当公众人物宣布他们的疾病时，观众可能会受到影响，以改变他们自己的健康行为。但是，如果一个不受欢迎的政治人物生病了，可能会产生幸灾乐祸的感觉，或对另一个人的不幸感到高兴，并且幸灾乐祸可以预测新闻消费者的信息寻求和与健康相关的意图。观众对保守电台主持人Rush Limbaugh的肺癌诊断新闻（N = 414）和共和党参议员Rand Paul的COVID-19诊断新闻（N = 407）的反应的调查发现，这种疾病的公告可以唤起schadenfreude，而schadenfreude与进行预防性健康行为的意愿降低。