Reasonably Optimistic Why is anger so addictive? A psychologist weighs in.
May 6, 2026
Keith Humphreys, a Stanford psychologist who studies addiction and served as a White House policy advisor, explains why rage hooks us online. He compares behavioral and substance addiction. He explores why threat and outrage grab attention, how algorithms escalate emotional highs, and what practical and policy steps might break the cycle.
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Algorithms Personalize Addiction
- The internet personalizes content so precisely it can create tailored 'variants' that hook each individual.
- Humphreys compares this to many versions of a drug that find the one variant that captures your attention, increasing vulnerability.
Adolescence Is The High-Risk Window
- Young brains are far more plastic and vulnerable to forming lifelong habits, so age-based restrictions on social media can reduce long-term harm.
- Humphreys emphasizes most addictions start in adolescence, making policy for youth access crucial.
Made Me Hit Her Explains Political Harm
- Humphreys uses a prison conversation where an inmate said 'made me hit her' to illustrate how people justify harmful acts as compelled by emotion.
- He applies that to politics: people commit harm while convincing themselves the target deserves it.