Schadenfreude implies deriving 'pleasure' in other's misfortune but what I am looking for is a word where one derives comfort that one's misfortune is faced by others as well. For instance, knowing at the workplace that you are not the sole employee being offered lower benefits by your employer, despite increasing workload. Another (morbid) instance is during a plane about to crash, you derive comfort from the fact that you are not the only one who's going to die.
Edit:
Below answers point to a positive connotation. I am looking for a word that carries a negative connotation. Continuing with the above example, it would be bad to take comfort that others too are being overworked, rather than quitting that job and switching over to something else. Or try to devise some sort of escape from the crashing plane.
Best Answer
A trouble shared is a trouble halved, may suggest what you are referring to:
(McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.)