It turns out that people seek revenge because, in the moment, it feels quite rewarding. This was revealed by a group of Swiss researchers who wanted to figure out what happens in the brain when someone takes revenge.

They observed brain scans of people who had been wronged during a game in the laboratory. Then they gave these participants the opportunity to get back at the other person. During the minute the victim contemplated revenge, their brain activity was recorded. Immediately, the researchers noticed action flowing into the caudate nucleus, a part of the brain responsible for reward processes.

Another motivation for revenge, according to Fade Eadeh, an assistant professor of psychology at Seattle University, is believing in a fair world. “Good things happen to good people,” he says, “and bad things happen to bad people.” When supposedly a good person experiences something bad, they might be driven to even things.

However, while initially, revenge might be satisfying, it quickly becomes bitter. Scientists have found that instead of delivering ‘justice’, revenge prolongs the unpleasantness of the original wrongdoing, creating a cursed cycle of retaliation.

Focusing on revenge might take our minds off the individual who hurt us, becoming a distraction from fully experiencing the pain. After the feeling of reward wears off, we’re left to suffer from what happened to us initially.

Therefore, experts don’t recommend using revenge as the first plan of action. Instead, it might be a good idea to think through all the potential outcomes. Or try giving the wrongdoer the benefit of the doubt. Ask yourself, "What could have caused their behavior?" There's a chance that it was the fault of something out of their control. 

Talking through your feelings with someone who sees the situation objectively might also help to prevent carrying out revenge. It can be a friend or a mental health professional. Holding onto resentment takes away your precious time and energy; letting go of it can help restore power and peace without searching for ways to get even.

In addition, David Chester, an associate professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, suggests finding other, non-harmful, ways to communicate to someone how they hurt you. “As long as you feel like the other party gets it, they understood what they did to you, they feel remorse for it, especially if they express manifest actions and commitments that they won’t do it again and they will try and undo some of the harm they did,” he says, “people don’t want vengeance anymore.”

Other great ways to release the pent-up energy are to go for a walk, sign up for an art class, do a fun DIY project, or plan a meeting with friends. Anything that wouldn’t give the transgressor the pleasure to see that they upset you. “By virtue of focusing on making your life good, you’ve thwarted their attempts at hurting you,” Chester said.