Notable Quotable: James Kimmel Jr. On Revenge
Terrible, unimaginable things are happening in our country today. We accept that these horrors happen elsewhere, but not in America. Or so we believed.
Many of us wonder what happened to turn us into such a cruel and vengeful society. We can't help but ask ourselves, how is it possible so many chose such a spiteful leader to carry the day again?
Today's Notable Quotable comes from James Kimmel Jr., J.D., and he has answers. He is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and the author of The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World’s Deadliest Addiction—and How to Overcome It.
The following is an excerpt from his article, Bad Brains, published in Slate.
”The desire for revenge is the root motivation for almost all forms of human violence. From childhood bullying to intimate partner violence, urban violence, police brutality, mass shootings, violent extremism, genocide, and even war, perpetrators of violence almost always believe they’re victims seeking justice.“
”Recent neuroscience discoveries reveal a chilling picture: Your brain on revenge looks like your brain on drugs. Brain imaging studies show that grievances—real or imagined perceptions of injustice, disrespect, betrayal, shame, or victimization—activate the “pain network,” specifically the anterior insula. The brain doesn’t like pain and tries to rebalance itself with pleasure. Pleasure can come from many things, but humans have evolved to feel intense pleasure from hurting the people who hurt us, or their proxies.”
The full article sheds light from studies conducted by over 60 neuroscientists at universities around the world, and concludes with what the surprising remedy is. Read it here on Slate.
Slipstream
What's also interesting is that the article points out the "most potent" remedy for this behavior is forgiveness, and imagining the forgiveness is just as effective as informing the transgressor of your forgiveness. Just imagine what a different world we would have if we handled our hurts in another way. Very interesting article; thanks for finding it.
Well Street
I'm fortunate that I haven't been wronged many times, which stirred desires for revenge. However, many years ago, I learned a girlfriend had cheated on me. I wouldn't carry anything out in real life, but revenge fantasies felt both good and right.
I think I read the "Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die" statement that made me realize that I'd be doing myself an immense favor by forgiving her. I remember a weight lifted off me when I made that decision, and I knew I'd learned a valuable lesson.
This is a fascinating article, but the revenge-driven death tolls he cites are staggering and tragic periods in human history.
Serenity Township
Thanks for the quote and link to this fabulous article! I’ve read about the importance of forgiving (ultimately for one’s own good) many times before but never was it tied to actual physiological and positive changes in brain chemistry. Really, a life changing piece of information. Thank you again for brining this knowledge to the readers of Youtropolis.