James Kimmel, Jr. is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, an expert on revenge, a lawyer, and the founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies. He is the creator of The Nonjustice System, the Miracle Court app, and SavingCain.org for recovering from grievances and revenge desires and preventing mass violence. His most recent book is The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World’s Deadliest Addiction—and How to Overcome It.
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The big takeaway
James Kimmel, Jr. unpacks the neuroscience and psychology behind our universal craving for revenge—and how, left unchecked, it can wreak havoc at the personal, societal, and even geopolitical scale. By understanding revenge as an addictive force, he offers not just insight, but real, research-backed strategies for breaking free from the cycle of rumination, grudge-holding, and destructive behavior.
Grudge holding & revenge: breaking the brain’s oldest addiction
Revenge-seeking is wired into the human brain, delivering short-lived pleasure but fueling cycles of personal pain and violence.
Grudges and fantasies of “getting even” activate the same addictive reward pathways as drugs or gambling.
The line between healthy justice and destructive revenge is thinner—and trickier—than most of us realize.
Forgiveness (on your terms, not the perpetrator’s) is a science-backed antidote, shifting the brain out of pain and addictive rumination.
6 practical ways to work with revenge cravings & grudges
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