In early human tribes, retaliation helped prevent exploitation. If someone harmed you and you didn’t respond, it signalled weakness, inviting further attacks. Revenge was a means to deter future harm and served as a survival mechanism.
Brain imaging studies show that thoughts of revenge activate the striatum, a key reward centre. Neuroscience reveals that simply imagining revenge can release dopamine, the same chemical associated with pleasure and motivation.
Anger is a primal response to stress. Revenge often emerges from that surge of adrenaline and cortisol. The fight-or-flight connection is the mind’s way of converting helplessness into action.
Where across the course of your day today, could you consider where it might be that you are aware of how you react instinctively, rather than respond with mastery?
Many cultures historically endorsed revenge through blood feuds or “an eye for an eye” justice codes.
Over time, laws, religion, and moral philosophies worked to suppress instinctual…
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