Revenge often feels sweet, but what price do we pay for seeking it out? Researcher James Kimmel, Jr. proposes a radical theory: our desire for vengeance operates like an addiction in the brain. This week, how “revenge addiction” plays out in our everyday lives — and on a global scale.
May 2025
Why Your Brain Craves Revenge and How to Break Free
Revenge, why do we want to get revenge so bad? And where does that urge come from? And how do we go from wanting to get revenge to being able to forgive someone or others? James Kimmel Jr., Yale lecturer and co-founder of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Studies, is on Getting B ... Show More
49 m
Sep 2025
Why Violence & Revenge Fantasies Feel Good - James Kimmel Jr. - #989
James Kimmel Jr. is a professor at Yale, a psychiatrist, and an author. Why are we drawn to revenge? From playground grudges to epic betrayals, the urge to strike back is universal. But is it a survival mechanism, or an ancient drive that no longer fits the modern age? Expect to ... Show More
1h 38m
Oct 2025
347. The psychology of revenge
Have you ever felt that urge for payback? Revenge is one of the oldest, most universal human instincts. It seems like it promises justice, balance, or even peace. But why does it so often leave us feeling worse, not better? In this episode, we dive into the psychology of revenge ... Show More
39m 37s
Jun 2025
The Science of Revenge with James Kimmel Jr.
<p>Are we addicted… to revenge? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly break down the neuroscience behind revenge-seeking, what motivates violence, and how science can help stop it with James Kimmel Jr., lawyer, psychiatry lecturer at Yale School of Medicine, and auth ... Show More
1h 3m
Aug 2022
Revenge Addiction And What You Can Do To Stop It
"Revenge addiction is even more dangerous than substance addiction," says Dr. James Kimmel Jr., lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, founder and co-creator of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies, and the developer of the behavioral addiction model ... Show More
56m 28s
Jul 2018
208 - Does Revenge Work? Our Minds on Vengeance
Inequality, privilege, and injustice blare from the headlines. When faced with an unjust world, how do you cope? Do you dwell on unfairness? Or do you stay out of the fray? This week, by request from Melissa in San Francisco, Savvy Psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen reveals the su ... Show More
10m 20s
<p dir="ltr">The psychology and neuroscience of revenge.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.jameskimmeljr.com/">James Kimmel, Jr.</a> is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, an expert on revenge, a lawyer, and the founder and co-di ... Show More
