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Receiving an Apology Does a Body Good, Study Finds
Reuters Health via Yahoo! News ^ | Thu Oct 10, 5:29 PM ET | Charnicia E. Huggins

Posted on 10/11/2002 9:40:58 AM PDT by Conagher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most individuals who have been wronged would agree that they feel better after receiving an apology. Now researchers have found scientific proof to back up that claim.

"The data suggest that apologies and restitution can have an immediate, positive impact on physiological and subjective responses to transgressions," according to Dr. Everett L. Worthington, Jr., of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and his colleagues.

For their study, 61 college undergraduates--32 men and 29 women--were told to imagine that they had been robbed, and that the robber had afterwards either apologized, restored to them the things he or she had stolen, apologized and made restitution, or did neither.

Overall, the students had lower heart rates when they imagined that the robber had given them a strong, guilt-ridden apology and made restitution to compensate for the stolen items and trouble he or she had caused, study findings indicate. Further, the students also showed less muscle tension in their face--such as less wrinkling of the brow--and had less stress and lower blood pressures.

In other findings, when the students imagined that they had received a strong apology and had been compensated, they experienced a reduction in their level of unforgiveness that was twice as great as when they imagined themselves to have just received a strong apology, according to Worthington.

The students also said they felt more forgiveness, gratitude and empathy and less anger, fear and sadness, study findings indicate. Finally, the undergraduates also said they felt more in control.

"If someone apologizes it makes it easier to give some measure of forgiveness because it reduces the gap of injustice," Worthington told Reuters Health. "Justice can only take you so far, but if you forgive--that can take you all the way to closure."

The findings were presented in Washington, DC during the recent annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: apology; conagheralert; health; ironiccomingfromme; psychology

1 posted on 10/11/2002 9:40:58 AM PDT by Conagher
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To: dighton; aculeus; general_re
I'm sorry I read this.
2 posted on 10/11/2002 9:46:37 AM PDT by Orual
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To: Orual
I'm sorry I read this.

I'm sorry I repeated your words by quoting you. I'm sorry for worshipping you like that ;)

3 posted on 10/11/2002 10:25:05 AM PDT by general_re
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To: Orual; general_re; dighton
I'm sorry that I have nothing to say.
4 posted on 10/11/2002 10:28:30 AM PDT by aculeus
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To: aculeus; Orual; general_re; BlueLancer; Conagher
I'm sorry you're not apologizing to me.
5 posted on 10/11/2002 10:32:06 AM PDT by dighton
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To: dighton
I'm sorry I neglected to apologize to you. I'm sorry.
6 posted on 10/11/2002 10:37:30 AM PDT by Conagher
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To: general_re
I'm sorry I repeated your words by quoting you. I'm sorry for worshipping you like that ;)

I feel so much better now. My heart rate and blood pressure have been lowered, my brow unwrinkled, and I offer you unconditional forgiveness. Just remember, though, who is in charge.


7 posted on 10/11/2002 10:37:50 AM PDT by Orual
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To: dighton; aculeus; Orual; general_re
I'm sorry you're a poo-poo head.
8 posted on 10/11/2002 10:38:46 AM PDT by BlueLancer
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To: Conagher
I just wanted to jump in and let everyone know how profoundly sorry I am for posting this reply.
9 posted on 10/11/2002 10:38:52 AM PDT by bigcheese
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To: Orual
Now I'm sorry I apologized and caused you to post that picture...
10 posted on 10/11/2002 10:44:37 AM PDT by general_re
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To: BlueLancer; dighton; aculeus; general_re
I'm sorry you're a poo-poo head.

I apologize for not knowing which of the group you addressed the comment to. One or all?

11 posted on 10/11/2002 10:45:56 AM PDT by Orual
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To: Orual; dighton; aculeus; general_re
I apologize for my apology. I'm also very sorry that the poo-poo head to whom the message was addressed won't take responsibility for my apology and apologize for not stating his sorrow for not recognizing that it was addressed to him.
12 posted on 10/11/2002 10:56:52 AM PDT by BlueLancer
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To: BlueLancer; Orual; aculeus; dighton
I'm sorry you feel that way.
13 posted on 10/11/2002 11:00:51 AM PDT by general_re
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To: All

14 posted on 10/11/2002 11:06:24 AM PDT by dighton
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To: dighton; aculeus; general_re; BlueLancer
I am afflicted with deep regret over this.

Who's sari now?

15 posted on 10/11/2002 11:15:45 AM PDT by Orual
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To: dighton

16 posted on 10/11/2002 2:56:27 PM PDT by hellinahandcart
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