347. The psychology of revenge
The Psychology of your 20s
iHeartPodcasts
4.8 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 28 October 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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 - what drives it, what it costs us, and why our brains find it so hard to let go.
We explore:
• Why revenge feels so intoxicating
• The difference between impulsive and planned revenge
• Who might be more prone to act out revenge
• The negative effects of seeking it out
• Why acting on our need can leave us feeling worse
• The push and pull behind human morality
• Empathy, success and silence as alternatives
If you’ve ever replayed an argument in your head or imagined getting even, this episode is for you.
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:05.5 | From NBA champion, Stefan Curry, comes shot ready, a powerful never-before-seen look at the mindset that changed the game. |
| 0:13.1 | I fell in love with the grind. You have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around. |
| 0:20.0 | Success is not an accident. I'm passing the ball to you. |
| 0:23.8 | Let's go. Steph Curry redefined basketball. Now he's rewriting what it means to succeed. Order your |
| 0:29.3 | copy of the New York Times bestseller shot ready today at stephencurrie book.com. |
| 0:38.4 | Hello everybody and welcome back to the psychology of your 20s, the podcast where we talk |
| 0:45.7 | through some of the big life changes and transitions of our 20s and what they mean |
| 0:51.7 | for our psychology. |
| 0:57.1 | Hello everybody. |
| 0:58.6 | Welcome back to the show. |
| 1:00.8 | Welcome back to the podcast. |
| 1:02.5 | New listeners, old listeners, wherever you are in the world. |
| 1:05.9 | It is so great to have you here back for another episode as we of course talk about the psychology |
| 1:12.3 | of our 20s. Today we are going to be talking about the psychology of revenge, what some of |
| 1:21.4 | us might think of as an ugly feeling, but what is actually one of the most complex, layered human emotions that we can |
| 1:30.6 | have. Some of my absolute favorite movies and books are written about this concept. Think like |
| 1:37.7 | Kill Bill or Promising Young Women or Taken. And I find our human need for like an eye for an eye so interesting. It's one of |
| 1:48.5 | those universal human impulses that we all get, whether or not we've acted on it, whether |
| 1:53.3 | or not we've acknowledged it or not. You know, if only I could make my ex hurt the way that |
| 1:58.9 | they hurt me, if only I could get back at that friend who |
| 2:02.6 | betrayed me or that person who cut me off on the road, sometimes it almost feels satisfying |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.