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The urge to punish is not only about revenge – unfairness can unleash it, too

  • Written by Paul Deutchman, PhD Candidate in Psychology, Boston College
The urge to punish is not only about revenge – unfairness can unleash it, tooEveryone wants a slice of the pie.Westend61 via Getty Images

Imagine you and your friend are at a party and someone orders pizza. You’re starving. You put a couple of slices on your plate and sit down at the table. Before you start eating, you excuse yourself to wash your hands.

On your way back from the bathroom, you look across the room just...