564: Yale’s James Kimmel Jr. on the Science of Revenge

564: Yale’s James Kimmel Jr. on the Science of Revenge

James Kimmel, Jr., lawyer, Yale psychiatry lecturer, and author of The Science of Revenge, joins us in the Strategy Skills podcast to explore the neuroscience and behavioral dynamics of revenge. Drawing on law, psychiatry, and over two decades of research, Kimmel offers a sobering view: revenge is not a form of justice, it’s a “pleasure-seeking behavior” that operates like an addiction, fueled by unresolved pain.

He opens the conversation with a deeply personal story: as a teenager, after years of bullying, he chased down his aggressors with a loaded revolver. In a pivotal moment, he recalls, “The cost of getting the revenge I wanted was far more than I was willing to pay.” That flash of insight redirected his life and seeded a lifelong investigation into how grievance, retribution, and healing operate in the human mind.

Key insights from the discussion include:

  • Revenge Mimics Addiction in the Brain
    Kimmel explains that “your brain on revenge looks like your brain on drugs.” The cycle begins when a grievance activates the brain’s pain network, followed by a surge of dopamine in the reward system. Over time, the craving for retaliation can become compulsive, forming habits akin to substance abuse.
  • Grievance Retention Impairs Judgment
    Unchecked rumination can degrade executive function. “If that prefrontal cortex does not stop you,” Kimmel warns, “and you really crave it… it doesn’t matter how many laws there are.” This impaired self-control is what allows otherwise rational individuals to commit extreme acts of violence.
  • Social Exclusion Can Be a Form of Revenge
    “If you’re ending a relationship not for present harm, but to punish someone for a past wrong, that’s retaliation,” he explains. Even subtle acts like ghosting or ostracism can activate the same pain circuitry in the brain as physical harm.
  • Forgiveness Interrupts the Revenge Cycle
    Neuroscience shows that imagining forgiveness “shuts down the brain’s pain network, silences addiction circuits, and reactivates executive control.” Kimmel calls forgiveness a “human superpower… It doesn’t just cover up the pain like revenge does, it takes the pain away altogether.”
  • Revenge Can Be Prevented, Like a Heart Attack
    Kimmel proposes a new public health framework: treat revenge attacks like cardiac events. “There are warning signs,” he says, grievance fixation, revenge fantasies, acquiring weapons, and they demand the same level of emergency attention.
  • Legal Systems Often Deliver Revenge, Not Justice
    Kimmel reflects on his time as a litigator: “Lawyers get paid to sell revenge under the brand name ‘justice.’” He urges professionals to be aware of how sanctioned systems can enable and normalize compulsive retribution.

For leaders in high-stakes environments, the message is clear: understanding the mechanics of grievance and retaliation isn’t just psychological, it’s strategic. Kimmel’s work offers actionable frameworks to recognize revenge-seeking before it becomes destructive, and calls for a deeper integration of neuroscience into how we define justice, manage risk, and lead with compassion.

Get The Science of Revenge here: https://www.jameskimmeljr.com/

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105: Advanced predictive problem solving (Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking)

105: Advanced predictive problem solving (Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking)

Turquoise Eyes started off the groundbreaking new genre developed by FIRMSconsulting that combines compelling narrative while teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills. Set after a bank begins implementing a new retail banking strategy, we follow Teresa García Ramírez de Arroyo, a director-general in the Mexican government, who has received some disturbing news. A whistleblower has emailed Teresa with troubling news about a mistake in the loan default calculations and reserve ratios. The numbers do not add up.   The Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking is available on Amazon.   Buy a copy by midnight EST June 10 2020 and receive 1-month complimentary access to the accompanying video course.   BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/3bzVa6g   To celebrate the launch week for Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking, until midnight EST June 10 2020 only, we offer this purchase gift to customers as our way of showing that we're truly thankful that you chose FIRMSconsulting. This is the 1st episode of the accompanying program. To Claim Your Complimentary 1 Month Access to the Accompanying Program:   1) BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/3bzVa6g 2) Reply to this email by midnight EST June 10 2020 with the following: Your Name Your receipt for the book (Kindle, paperback or hardcover) A Mention of Your Review for the above book If you've left a Review, please include a link - we'd love to read it and sincerely appreciate it. Even if you haven't left an Amazon review but only left Goodreads review, your training program 1 month access will still be sent to you! While we cannot require Amazon review to take advantage of our free gift to you, we would certainly appreciate your feedback and it will be a great way to support the book and FC. YOU CAN LEAVE A REVIEW FOR AMAZON HERE: https://amzn.to/3bzVa6g AND HERE FOR GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53252396-turquoise-eyes We look forward to hearing from you! Kris CEO, FIRMSconsulting   P.S. Please help us get the word out by sharing the purchase link with friends, family, and colleagues. This purchase gift is limited to the launch week only. Your friends can reach out to us about claiming their launch purchase gift at support@firmsconsulting.com. Thank you in advance!! Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/xQqufjwFm9E

26 Touko 202029min

104: How to resign from your job the right way

104: How to resign from your job the right way

How can you resign from your job with dignity, compassion, and grace, without burning any bridges with your employer? Here we share simple principles to help you leave your role in a way that leaves a positive impression with your superiors, colleagues, and organization. Do you have a story about resigning? Tell us more with a comment below. ---------- Get access to free training episodes: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo SUBSCRIBE TO FIRMSCONSULTING'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe CONNECT WITH FIRMSCONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.youtube.com/user/firmsconsulting https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting https://www.pinterest.com/firmsconsulting/ This video is all about how to resign, how to resign from a job, resignation, how to quit, quitting a job, quit a job, leaving on good terms, career, business career, career growth. #howtoresign #howtoresignfromajob #resignation

9 Touko 202018min

103: The secretive world of Samsung, the South Korean tech giant. Geoffrey Cain

103: The secretive world of Samsung, the South Korean tech giant. Geoffrey Cain

Strategy Skills Podcast 103: The secretive world of Samsung, the South Korean Tech Giant. With Geoffrey Cain Access advanced training episodes: http://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo An explosive expose of Samsung, one of the biggest and most secretive companies in the world, as the Korean juggernaut battles Apple and Sony to dominate the world of technology. Seen for decades in tech circles as a fast follower rather than an innovation leader, Samsung today has grown to become a market leader in the United States and around the globe. They have captured one quarter of the smartphone market and have been pushing the envelope on every front. In SAMSUNG RISING: The Inside Story of the South Korean Giant that Set Out to Beat Apple and Conquer Tech, Geoffrey Cain offers a penetrating look behind the curtains of the biggest company nobody in America knows. Forty years ago, Samsung was a rickety Korean agricultural conglomerate that produced sugar, paper, and fertilizer, located in a backward country with a third-world economy. However, with the rise of the PC revolution, Chairman Lee Byung-chul began a bold experiment: to make Samsung a major supplier of computer chips. The multimillion-dollar plan was incredibly risky but Lee, wowed by a young Steve Jobs, who sat down with the Chairman to offer his advice, became obsessed with creating a tech empire. In SAMSUNG RISING, readers follow behind the scenes as the company fought its way to the top of tech. Today, Samsung employs over 300,000 people (compared to Apple’s 80,000 and Google’s 48,000). The company’s revenues have grown more than forty times from that of 1987 and make up more than 20 percent of South Korea’s exports. It is also one of Apple’s chief suppliers of technology critical to the iPhone, while its own Galaxy phone outsells the iPhone. Yet their disastrous recall of the Galaxy Note 7, with numerous reports of phones spontaneously bursting into flames, reveals the dangers of the company’s headlong attempt to overtake Apple at any cost.

15 Huhti 20201h 30min

102: Current crisis = golden opportunity to transform your life

102: Current crisis = golden opportunity to transform your life

Our clients are often facing crises and catastrophes somewhere in the world. From virus outbreaks to earthquakes, wildfire evacuations and more. And they write to us about their immediate plans to manage the situation. What we find is that they almost always take actions that damage their careers and hurt their lives. They let external factors, the media narrative and their social network influence them to make poor choices that handicap their lives. Often severely. They don't realize that the biggest, fastest and most sustainable way to transform one’s life and career is to leverage a crisis. Don't run from a crisis. Run into a crisis. This is a short episode released on Strategy Skills iTunes channel and YouTube which includes an overview of the full program we released for FC Insiders (StrategyTraining.com/Strategy Training apps). The full program: https://www.strategytraining.com/how-to-manage-a-crises

19 Maalis 20207min

101: Interview with McKinsey partner Peter Dahlström on the source of competitive advantage in the digital era

101: Interview with McKinsey partner Peter Dahlström on the source of competitive advantage in the digital era

This is #101 episode of the Strategy Skills podcast. In this episode we interview senior partner at McKinsey & Company Peter Dahlström on the source of competitive advantage in the digital era.  Peter Dahlström leads McKinsey’s client and firm communications. As the global leader for McKinsey Digital’s B2C team, he serves leading institutions in the telecommunications, high-tech, media, and fast-moving consumer-goods industries. Peter is a co-author of FAST TIMES: How Digital Winners Set Direction, Learn, and Adapt.  Access free training episodes from our paid advanced strategy training programs here (opt-in for free to get access): https://www.FIRMSconsulting.com

28 Helmi 202058min

100: What a strategy workshop will not give you at the end

100: What a strategy workshop will not give you at the end

An episode 100 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  Access free training episodes here (opt-in for free to get access): https://www.firmsconsulting.com

18 Helmi 20208min

99: The one thing every consulting case study must produce

99: The one thing every consulting case study must produce

An episode 99 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  www.FIRMSconsulting.com - optin for email updates to receive access to some episodes from our advanced strategy programs.  https://www.firmsconsulting.com (opt-in for free to get access to sample advanced episodes) CONNECT WITH FIRMSCONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting

4 Helmi 20209min

98: Ten warning signs for a consulting workshop

98: Ten warning signs for a consulting workshop

https://www.firmsconsulting.com (opt-in for free to get access to sample advanced episodes) CONNECT WITH FIRMSCONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting https://www.pinterest.com/firmsconsulting/

30 Tammi 202010min

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