James Kimmel, Jr., "The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction—and How to Overcome It" (Random House, 2025)

Aug 14, 2025

James Kimmel, Jr. is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Yale and author of The Science of Revenge. He discusses the hidden addiction of revenge, revealing its roots in human aggression and the brain's reward systems. Kimmel shares his personal journey with revenge, including a near catastrophic path, while linking neuroscience to societal issues. He introduces innovative concepts like the 'non-justice system' for healing and promotes forgiveness as a vital antidote to the destructive cycle of retaliation.

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ANECDOTE

Bullying That Sparked A Revenge Path

James Kimmel Jr. describes being bullied on a Pennsylvania farm and escalating harassment that culminated in his dog being shot dead.
That trauma triggered intense rage and a personal turn toward revenge that shaped his life choices.

ANECDOTE

Near-Fatal Confrontation And Choice

Kimmel chased his tormentors with a revolver and confronted them at their barn but stopped before shooting at the last second.
The moment made him realize killing would permanently change his identity and pushed him away from farming toward law.

INSIGHT

Legal Practice Feeds Revenge Addiction

Practicing law amplified Kimmel's revenge highs when winning felt like 'sticking a dagger' in opponents and produced subsequent downs.
That cycle convinced him revenge-seeking functioned like an addiction, despite cultural valorization as 'justice'.

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There is a hidden addiction plaguing humanity right now: revenge. Researchers have identified retaliation in response to real and imagined grievances as the root cause of most forms of human aggression and violence. From vicious tweets to road rage, murder-suicide, and armed insurrection, perpetrators almost always see themselves as victims seeking justice. Chillingly, recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies of the human brain show that harboring a personal grievance triggers revenge desires and activates the neural pleasure and reward circuitry of addiction.
Although this behavior is ancient and seems inevitable, by understanding retaliation and violence as an addictive brain-biological process, we can control deadly revenge cravings and save lives. In The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction—and How to Overcome It (Random House, 2025), Yale violence researcher and psychiatry lecturer James Kimmel, Jr., JD, uncovers the truth behind why we want to hurt the people who hurt us, what happens when it gets out of hand, and how to stop it.
Weaving neuroscience, psychology, sociology, law, and human history with captivating storytelling, Dr. Kimmel reveals the neurological mechanisms and prevalence of revenge addiction. He shines an unsparing light on humanity’s pathological obsession with revenge throughout history; his own struggle with revenge addiction that almost led him to commit a mass shooting; America’s growing addiction to revenge as a special brand of justice; and the startlingly similar addictive behaviors and motivations of childhood bullies, abusive partners, aggrieved employees, sparring politicians, street gang members, violent extremists, mass killers, and tyrannical dictators. He also reveals the amazing, healing changes that take place inside your brain and body when you practice forgiveness. Emphasizing the necessity of proven public health approaches and personal solutions for every level of revenge addiction, he offers urgent, actionable information and novel methods for preventing and treating violence.

James Kimmel, Jr. is an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, a lawyer, and the founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies.

Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network.

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