A Landmark Conversation on Moral Outrage with Dr. Kurt Gray

Beyond the The Righteous Mind, plus new This Week in Outrage episode.

At Outrage Overload, we’ve had the privilege of speaking with some of the sharpest minds in psychology, media, and political discourse. But every once in a while, a guest comes along whose work has the potential to redefine the conversation entirely. Dr. Kurt Gray is one of those guests.

Dr. Gray was one of the very first experts to join us when we launched this show, helping to set the foundation for how we think about morality, outrage, and the way we engage with opposing viewpoints. Now, he’s back with a game-changing new book, Outraged!, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share this conversation with you.

For years, The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt set the baseline for discussions on political morality, offering a powerful framework for understanding how different sides think. But Outraged! signals the next evolution in the field. Dr. Gray and his co-authors take us beyond moral foundations theory, showing how outrage isn’t just a byproduct of modern discourse—it’s a deeply social, dynamic force that shapes everything from online movements to political activism.

In this episode, we take a deep examination of what makes moral outrage so powerful, why it can be both destructive and constructive, and how we can better navigate a world that thrives on what we often refer to as outrage media. This is the kind of research that doesn’t just add to the discussion—it shifts it entirely.

We expect to be discussing Outraged! and its implications for some time to come on this show. The findings in this book open up new ways of thinking about polarization, media, and how we engage with moral conflict. Whether you’re fascinated by the science behind our outrage-driven culture or looking for ways to have more productive conversations in your own life, this episode is not to be missed.

Listen now, and join us in what promises to be a defining moment in the study of moral outrage.

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New This Week in Outrage Episode!

It’s everything the Outrage Overload podcast is not. It’s not edited. It’s not scripted. It’s lightly researched. It’s David and Lisa talking about this week in outrage, what was in the news, in the memes, and maybe finding some backstory with a humorous (at least to us) twist.