EFR 884: Yale Psychiatrist Explains the Science of Revenge (From Addiction to Forgiveness) and How Revenge Sabotages Your Health with James Kimmel, Jr.

Ever Forward Radio with Chase Chewning

Chase Chewning

Healthcoach, Education, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Wellness, Fitness, Humanoptimization, Resiliency, Holistic, Highperformance, Coaching, Biohack, Health, Military, Entrepreneurship, Mindset, Health & Fitness

5 • 927 Ratings

🗓️ 10 July 2025

⏱️ 98 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode is brought to you by Fatty15, LMNT and Audible.

In this gripping and mind-opening conversation, Yale psychiatrist and author Dr. James Kimmel Jr. joins us to explore one of humanity's most primal urges—revenge. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and personal experience, Dr. Kimmel explains how revenge mimics addiction in the brain and why many of us unknowingly suffer from “revenge cravings.” He shares a deeply personal story of nearly acting on revenge as a teenager, the lessons he learned as a litigator-turned-researcher, and practical, science-backed ways to break the cycle. From mass shootings and bullying to road rage and “revenge bodies,” this episode dives deep into the psychology of retaliation, the illusion of justice, and how forgiveness may be the ultimate act of self-healing.

-----

In this episode we discuss...

03:25 – What is revenge? Real-life examples and dangers
06:39 – Legal revenge: Lawyers as licensed avengers
11:30 – The definition of grievance and how it fuels revenge
16:00 – Mass shooters and "grievance collectors"
17:35 – Dr. Kimmel’s personal revenge story
25:02 – Masculinity, shame, and revenge
28:27 – Why revenge seems inevitable
30:15 – Why bullies see themselves as victims
33:38 – The monster isn't people—it's the craving for revenge
35:22 – Justice vs. punishment in addiction and revenge
37:54 – Can we solve revenge like an addiction?
40:45 – The neuroscience of revenge cravings
44:18 – Legal vs. illegal retaliation and the arrow of time
49:24 – Dr. Kimmel’s revenge addiction as a lawyer
53:06 – The pain of inflicting pain on others
56:04 – The Miracle Court mental role-play
58:45 – Neuroscience of forgiveness
01:00:05 – Justice vs. revenge: How language shapes violence
01:05:21 – Why revenge escalates: evolutionary roots
01:15:58 – Revenge body & revenge sex: healthy or harmful?
01:20:04 – Road rage and everyday revenge
01:21:26 – Hollywood’s revenge addiction: From Kill Bill to The Lion King
01:28:27 – GLP-1 drugs and reducing revenge cravings
01:32:43 – Forgiveness as the fastest cure
01:36:17 – Living Ever Forward: Forgiveness as freedom

-----

Episode resources:

Save an additional 15% on C15:0 essential fatty acid with code EVERFORWARD at https://www.Fatty15.com/everforward
FREE variety sample pack with any electrolyte purchase at https://www.DrinkLMNT.com/everforward
FREE 30-day trial of Audible at https://www.AudibleTrial.com/everforward
Watch and subscribe on YouTube
Learn more at JamesKimmelJr.com

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The following is an Operation Podcast production.
0:03.3	The one thing to know is that your brain on revenge looks like your brain on drugs.
0:07.3	That's a new discovery that science has just made.
0:10.2	And why that's important to every listener is because every person, every human being has the desire for revenge in them when they've been wronged.
0:20.2	All of us do. That's a built-in
0:22.0	evolutionary adaptive behavior. So we all deal with revenge cravings, and let's just talk about
0:30.3	what that means. Hi, I'm James Kimmel Jr. I'm a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of
0:35.4	Medicine and the author of the new book,
0:38.2	The Science of Revenge. Today, I'll be teaching you about revenge addiction. Welcome to Everforward
0:44.0	Radio. Hey, friends, are you by chance looking for a way to improve brain health, cognitive
0:48.9	function, maybe even get deeper, more restorative, more consistent quality sleep.
0:54.9	I'm here to tell you that there is something you can do that is very easy to keep up with.
0:59.5	It is a teeny, tiny vegan capsule that you can take daily.
1:03.0	I have been taken daily actually for over two years now that I absolutely love.
1:07.4	And in fact, one in three people are proving to be deficient in this new
1:12.2	essential fatty acid recently discovered by today's partners over at fatty 15. Of course, I'm
1:17.5	talking about C-15. So let me ask you again, are you doing everything right for your health,
1:23.6	but still waking up feeling foggy or dragging through the day.
1:28.2	Turns out you could be one of these people missing out on the essential nutrient C-15.
1:33.9	Faddy 15 is the first and only supplement with C-15, this essential fatty acid that science,
1:40.1	human clinical trials are showing that is now linking to deeper sleep, sharper focus, and stronger
1:46.6	long-term brain health. That's because it supports ourselves at the foundation, helping us restore
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Chase Chewning, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Chase Chewning and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.