May 31, 2025
1,513
48
5
3.50%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
12:06Now PlayingThe Science of Revenge: The World's Deadliest Addiction | EP445 | The Dr. Phil Podcast: Revenge isn’t just an emotional impulse—it’s an addiction. Dr. Phil and James Kimmel, Jr., JD, break down its impact on the brain and how forgiveness rewires our chemistry for healing.
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.
In 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 codirector 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. He is the creator of The Nonjustice System , the Miracle Court app for recovering from grievances and revenge desires and preventing mass violence. He maintains an active legal practice and speaking calendar and is the author of two other books on revengeSuing for PeaceA Guide for Resolving Life’s Conflicts and The Trial of Fallen Angels, a novel.
Experience a side of Dr. Phil McGraw you may have been missing as he provides critical information on some of the most important issues we face today. McGraw delves into the minds of the most exciting and accomplished people. From celebrities to ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, to the world’s leading experts, every guest and topic is provocative, informative, and relevant.
Dr. Phil McGraw, one of the most well-known and trusted mental health professionals in the world, is the host of daytime TV’s top-rated program, Dr. Phil. This trailblazing and award-winning platform continues to provide the most comprehensive forum on mental health issues in the history of television. Dr. McGraw’s unique ability to take complicated and technical information and make it accessible and understandable to the general public has distinguished him both among viewers and within his profession.
Follow for more Dr. Phil & The Dr. Phil Podcast:
Dr. Phil Show
Apple Podcasts
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.