Could it be that mass murderers are not vile monsters but instead desperate people afflicted by an addiction that many of us could fall prey to if we harbor a grievance? In The Science of Revenge, James Kimmel Jr. explains the track that can take any of us from pain to destructive action – and how it can be interrupted.

We have probably all experienced the pleasure of imagined retaliation for some past hurt or pain. Kimmel did. The bullying he experienced as a teenager led him to the brink of a violent act that would have devastated his life had he not stopped himself. What he wasn’t able to stop was a growing pleasure in seeking new ways to act on his anger, and eventually, his craving led him to join the professional revenge business – as a lawyer. There, he saw that people were willing to incur great costs to punish, even without receiving any material benefit in return. He helped his clients maximize retaliation just for the satisfaction it gave him. “Justice,” as the word is commonly used, became legalized revenge. Just as a drug addict craves a fix, so Kimmel found himself needing more. 

But one day the thrill crashed.