Show Notes
We root for revenge plots in our tv shows (beware: House of the Dragon spoilers ahead!), appeal to a sense of karmic justice, hunt for it in celebrity narratives, and even fantasise about getting our own one day. This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson unpack the psychology of vengeance, why it feels so titillating, and whether the payoff is ever what we had hoped. Plus, why do we cheer louder when women and marginalised characters finally get their moment? A reminder that revenge stories often tell us more about our cultural hunger for balancing the scales than the act itself ever could. ☆ Are you a creative looking for support? Visit the or call the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline on 1800 959 500 for a free and confidential chat (and remember, you don't have to be in crisis to call). Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who actually gets it and can hear you out. ☆ House Of The Dragon, HBO The Complicated Psychology of Revenge by Eric Jaffe, Association For Psychological Science The Bittersweet Taste of Revenge: On the Negative and Positive Consequences of Retaliation by Fade R. Eadeh, Stephanie A. Peak, Alan J. Lambert Victim Blaming and Belief in Karma by Cindel J. M. White, Aiyana K. Willard Margaret Qualley Just Walked the Red Carpet in Chanel’s Viral Naked Sandals by Rosa Sanchez, Harper’s Bazaar reputation, Taylor Swift Want to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content. Plus, you can follow along with us on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at copinginc.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Coping
We suddenly seem to care a lot about what the person next to us is reading. Between celebrity book clubs, literary moments on the runway, and the rise of the professional tastemaker, taste itself has never been so public. You may even have started wondering whether the book tucked under your arm on your morning commute is something you love, or something you’d like to be seen loving.
This week, we're coping a little differently ! Following our AI takeover spiral a few weeks ago, we thought it only fair to balance things out with a timely celebration of what it really means to be human.
Harry Styles is rumoured to be retiring. Amelia Dimoldenberg is bringing the Chicken Shop Date era to a close. We all remember Simone Biles stepping away from the gymnastics mat. More and more, we're watching people opt out of goals they've built their identity around and spent years publicly pursuing. Quitting seems more socially acceptable than ever, so why does walking away still feel like failure?
It seems everyone around us is moving through life at exactly the “right” pace: getting engaged, having babies, buying houses, building careers, finding purpose. Meanwhile, we’re left wondering, are we running late to our own lives?
AI experts, executives, and inventors themselves are sounding the alarm – warning us that an AI takeover could threaten all of humanity within just the next ten years. In other words, the call is coming from INSIDE the house.