Whether it is an ex-partner, a treacherous co-worker or an inconsiderate neighbour, many people have imagined putting someone who wronged them firmly in their place.
Revenge is usually described as an unhealthy impulse—one that ultimately brings guilt, regret or embarrassment. But a new review of psychological research suggests the emotional reality may be far more complicated.
Scientists found that getting even is often linked to pleasure, satisfaction and a powerful feeling of regaining control.
The research also indicates that people may enjoy revenge more than they are prepared to acknowledge.
Those findings question the widely held assumption that retaliation inevitably makes people feel worse over time.
‘Both enacted and envisioned revenge were associated with pleasant feelings,’ the researchers wrote in the journal Emotion.
‘This association was observed across different measurement types and assessment times, although it was stronger when feelings were assessed during revenge than shortly after revenge, suggesting that the pleasure of revenge fades with time.’
In The First Wives Club, three women get their own back on the ex-husbands who left them for younger partners. Scientists say this impulse can feel surprisingly rewarding
The research team, based at the University of Würzburg in Germany, reviewed 54 previous studies involving approximately 14,600 participants.
Rather than concentrating on elaborate acts of revenge, the research examined relatively minor forms of retaliation arising from ordinary conflicts.
In some experiments, participants expressed their anger symbolically by taking their frustrations out on voodoo dolls instead of real people.
Other studies asked volunteers to picture taking revenge on someone who had hurt them, or to think back to occasions when they had actually retaliated.
Across the research, people who had struck back generally described feeling more satisfied, pleased and in control, with little evidence of lasting remorse.
The analysis further suggested that participants understated how rewarding revenge had been.
While many were hesitant to say openly that retaliation felt good, measures including brain scans and facial-expression analysis indicated a strong sense of gratification.
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What kind of revenge feels most satisfying?
Social media is awash with tips on how to get revenge on others. Some say people ‘do you so dirty’ that they need a taste of your own medicine
Scientists say getting even can bring feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and control. In Gladiator (pictured) Maximus vows revenge on the emperor who murdered his family
‘These findings suggest that revenge is particularly pleasant during the act itself, supporting the reinforcement model of revenge and providing little evidence that revenge is followed by pronounced unpleasant emotional aftertaste,’ the scientists wrote.
The researchers are not, however, encouraging people to settle their scores.
Revenge can deliver a brief emotional lift, they cautioned, but it may also damage relationships and trigger another cycle of retaliation.
The experiments also offered participants relatively few alternatives to striking back. In everyday life, people may instead choose forgiveness, compromise or the decision to walk away.
The researchers said preserving valuable relationships and avoiding needless conflict could ultimately matter more than the temporary satisfaction of payback.
‘There are other things beyond your own mood and feelings,’ Dr Dyduch-Hazar told The Times. ‘Such as harmony, alliances and the safety of other people.’
in The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès devotes years to settling scores with the men who betrayed him
Earlier research has suggested that the urge to retaliate could be an ancient human instinct with a practical evolutionary purpose.
Psychologists argue that revenge may help enforce social rules by warning others against exploiting or mistreating members of a group.
When someone stole food, broke a promise or betrayed an ally, failing to respond might have encouraged further wrongdoing.
The ability and willingness to retaliate may therefore have helped people protect themselves while preserving their position within their community.
Separate research from Virginia Commonwealth University found that 58 per cent of people would rather take revenge immediately than wait for a potentially greater opportunity later.
The same study found that some participants were prepared to postpone retaliation if doing so promised a more severe outcome. This was especially true of people who regularly fixated on past grievances and displayed more antagonistic personality traits.
