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The Sweet Science of Revenge: Why Payback Fantasies Feel So Good

clock9 min

Why do revenge fantasies feel so satisfying? This episode connects neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and psychology to reveal how our brains reward vengeance thoughts. Drawing from Stanford's Andrew Huberman's research and Yale's James Kimmel Jr.'s addiction model, discover healthier ways to channel that primal energy.

The Sweet Science of Revenge: Why Payback Fantasies Feel So Good
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How This Personalized Podcast Was Made

This podcast was created using BeFreed’s AI, based on selected books, the creator’s learning goals, and their preferred tone.

Connectional architecture of a mouse hypothalamic circuit node controlling social behavior
link
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1817503116
Modern Wisdom
link
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-modern-wisdom-30936734/episode/989-james-kimmel-jr--292126894/
The Joy of Pain: Schadenfreude and the Dark Side of Human Nature
link
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16285237
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797662-the-righteous-mind
Third-party punishment as a costly signal of trustworthiness
link
https://colab.ws/articles/10.1038%2Fnature16981
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16421574-the-lucifer-effect
The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction—and How to Overcome It
link
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739999/the-science-of-revenge-by-james-kimmel-jr-jd/
Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion
link
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/536149
The Better Angels of Our Nature
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11181561-better-angels-of-our-nature
Yale Researchers Show Nonjustice System Reduces Revenge Cravings
link
https://nonjustice.org/2019/04/23/yale-researchers-show-nonjustice-system-reduces-revenge-cravings/
When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault
link
https://www.befreed.ai/book/when-men-behave-badly-by-david-m-buss
A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal
link
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1037926
TED Talk
link
https://www.ted.com/speakers/robert_sapolsky
TED Talk
link
https://www.ted.com/speakers/frans_de_waal
The Neural Basis of Altruistic Punishment
link
https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1100735
How social learning amplifies moral outrage expression in online social networks
link
https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abe5641
Hidden Brain
link
https://www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-price-of-revenge/
James Kimmel, Jr., JD — Profile
link
https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/james-kimmel/
TED-Ed / TED Talk
link
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/our-buggy-moral-code-dan-ariely
TED Speaker
link
https://www.ted.com/speakers/steven_pinker
Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South
link
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/226635
Empathic neural responses are modulated by the perceived fairness of others
link
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature04271
Huberman Lab
link
https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/understanding-and-controlling-aggression
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32491659-behave
Functional identification of an aggression locus in the mouse hypothalamus
link
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011Natur.470..221L/abstract
The pleasure of revenge: retaliatory aggression arises from a neural imbalance toward reward
link
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4927037/
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Input question

Why do we find violence and revenge fantasies so satisfying?

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likes117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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comments12
likes108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments254
likes17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
platform
comments96
likes4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
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thumbsUp16

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
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"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
platform
comments37
likes483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
platform
comments12
likes117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
platform
comments12
likes108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments254
likes17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
platform
comments96
likes4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
platform
comments201
thumbsUp16

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
platform
comments37
likes483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu
platform
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