CREDITS
Do you like what you see?
If you haven’t yet, join our community and stay in touch as we embark on Gratitude Revealed in the coming months.
We have partnered with UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to provide you with these scientific facts. Click on an item below to expand and reveal more.
Forgiveness improves our health
When we hold onto grudges, our blood pressure and heart rate spike; when we forgive, our stress levels drop.
Forgiveness makes us happier
Research suggests that if you forgive someone today, you’ll feel happier tomorrow.
Forgiveness is good for relationships (most of the time)
Spouses who are more forgiving and less vindictive are better at resolving conflicts and have stronger, more satisfying relationships. However, when more forgiving spouses are frequently mistreated by their partner, they become less satisfied with their marriage.
Forgiveness is associated with kindness
Forgiving people are more likely to want to volunteer and donate money to charity, and they feel more connected to other people in general.
Forgiveness can help heal the wounds of war
A research-based forgiveness training program in Rwanda, for instance, was linked to reduced trauma and more positive attitudes between the Hutus and Tutsis there.
For more on the science of forgiveness, visit the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.
Here are 2 exercises, provided by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, to help you build forgiveness creative right now.
