Ah, I found the link, "Punishment isn’t about the common good: it’s about spite" on Aeon [0]. The author doesn't state definitively (in the article at least) that punishment is about spite, but rather seems to introduce that it's likely that it is. I haven't read the linked studies yet but hope to.

[0]: https://aeon.co/ideas/punishment-isnt-about-the-common-good-...