Study Links Revenge to Pleasure and Satisfaction
A meta-analysis of 54 studies finds that enacted and imagined revenge are associated with pleasant feelings.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Social Sciences
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Psychologists from the University of Würzburg published a meta-analysis in the journal Emotion reviewing 54 studies involving around 14,600 people. The researchers found that enacted and envisioned revenge were associated with pleasant feelings.
Why it matters
The findings add evidence about why retaliation feels rewarding, which may help explain its persistence in human behavior. The researchers did not urge people to pursue revenge, and the study notes that it may quickly sour relationships and provoke further retaliation.
The meta-analysis reviewed 54 studies involving around 14,600 people, and a separate Virginia Commonwealth University study found 58 per cent of people prefer immediate revenge. The source does not report how these figures vary across different populations or settings.
The players
University of Würzburg
A German public research university whose researchers conducted the meta-analysis on revenge.
Virginia Commonwealth University
A public research university in Richmond, Virginia, whose separate study found that most people prefer immediate revenge.
The details
Some studies used symbolic retaliation, with participants taking frustrations out on voodoo dolls, while others asked volunteers to imagine revenge or recall past experiences. Participants who got revenge reported satisfaction, pleasure, and renewed control with few signs of regret, and brain activity scans and facial expression analyses pointed to gratification.
Timeline
Article on the revenge study published on 9 November 2026.
Big Picture
A separate Virginia Commonwealth University study found 58 per cent of people prefer immediate revenge, and the Würzburg meta-analysis extends that line of inquiry by linking revenge to pleasure across 54 studies. Together the two findings sharpen the picture of why retaliation feels rewarding even as its social costs remain.
The findings suggest that the urge for retaliation is tied to a rewarding emotional payoff, which may help readers recognize that pleasure in getting even does not necessarily predict better outcomes. Revenge may also quickly sour relationships and provoke a fresh round of retaliation.
The takeaway
Recognizing that revenge can feel good in the moment may help people pause before retaliating, since the same dynamic can escalate conflict. Considering longer-term relationship costs can make it easier to choose responses that do not provoke further harm.
Further reading
For related context on human behavior and motivation, explore Social Sciences.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mail Online.
Live Poll
When someone wrongs you, do you feel tempted to get even?
