The Leader’s Way 70: On Revenge with James Kimmel
Nov 3, 2025
In this engaging discussion, violence researcher James Kimmel, Jr. shares his unique journey from a near-violent past to studying the complexities of revenge, forgiveness, and addiction. He explains how vengeance can act like a compulsion and the brain's role in this behavior. Kimmel also discusses the cultural influences that spur revenge-seeking and presents forgiveness as a powerful antidote. Listeners learn about practical tools like the Miracle Court app, designed to help process grievances and interrupt destructive cycles of revenge.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Near Miss That Shaped His Work
- James Kimmel nearly committed a mass shooting as a teenager and later became a lawyer seeking revenge for clients.
- That lived experience propelled him to research revenge and identify compulsive revenge-seeking as an addiction.
Revenge Triggers Addiction Circuits
- Grievances activate the brain's pain network and then the reward circuitry, producing pleasure in harming others.
- The brain on revenge looks neurologically similar to the brain on drugs, explaining compulsive retaliatory urges.
Evolutionary Roots And Modern Mismatch
- Revenge likely evolved to enforce cooperation and deter theft or mate-stealing in early human groups.
- Today most grievances threaten ego rather than survival, making revenge often maladaptive.
