I’m interested by how much pleasure and entertainment there is in other people’s faux pas, ignorance and generally messed up love-lives – as exemplified by the latest rash of reality shows. The Germans call it Schadenfreude and I do catch myself indulging on occasion…

Is it that it makes ordinary folks like you and me feel superior?

My hunch is that the only reason we can relate to this car-crash tv is that it reflects our own lives to some extent. That when we witness some particularly crass behaviour, it chimes with a little memory of our own conduct.

Could it be that the only way we can relate to others is through shared behaviour?