The Science of Revenge: The World's Deadliest Addiction

Year 2025Episode 6160 minJuni 12, 2025
The Science of Revenge: The World's Deadliest Addiction

Revenge feels like justice, but what if it's more like an addiction? Dr. Phil and James dive into the neuroscience behind revenge—how it hijacks our brain's pain and reward systems just like substance dependency. They explore how society reinforces these cycles, why letting go isn't weakness, and how forgiveness actually rewires the mind. Plus, Kimmel's "Non-Justice System" offers a fresh way to process grudges without fueling destruction. Kimmel's latest groundbreaking book, The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction and How to Overcome It, unveils the unseen neurobiological forces behind our compulsive desires for retribution—an addiction that silently fuels violence and aggression in all its forms. James Kimmel, Jr., JD, is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, a lawyer, and the founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies. A breakthrough scholar and expert on revenge, he first identified compulsive revenge seeking as an addiction and developed the behavioral addiction model of revenge as a public health approach for preventing and treating violence. 

The Science of Revenge: The World's Deadliest Addiction has aired on Juni 12, 2025 at 20:00
Previous EpisodeNext Episode

Trailer

We do not have any trailers for this episode

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Shifting Gears
Running

Shifting Gears

Shifting Gears centers on Matt, a stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt's estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.

GenreComedy
Alien: Earth
Running

Alien: Earth

When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, Wendy and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat.

All's Fair
Upcoming

All's Fair

A team of female divorce attorneys leave a male-dominated firm to open their own powerhouse practice. Fierce, brilliant, and emotionally complicated, they navigate high-stakes breakups, scandalous secrets, and shifting allegiances—both in the courtroom and within their own ranks. In a world where money talks and love is a battleground, these women don't just play the game—they change it.

GenreLegal
Brassic
Running

Brassic

Brassic is about Vinnie, a man from the north of England with bipolar disorder and his best mate Dylan, whose girlfriend Erin decides to leave town. Dylan is faced with the impossible decision between a fresh start with the love of his life or staying behind with his inseparable gang of mates that he can't live without.

A Man on the Inside
Running

A Man on the Inside

A retired man gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a PI and becomes a mole in a secret investigation.