Forgiveness Could Lift Your Spirits, But Only If You’re A Woman

Feeling low? Try forgiving the people who have made you angry. Researchers at the University of Missouri have found that people who forgive others have fewer signs of depression, regardless of whether others have forgiven them.  But wait, there’s a catch. The practice only works for women. A U of Missouri news release reports that men who forgave others were no less likely to be depressed than men who did not forgive others, also regardless of whether others had forgiven them. “It doesn’t feel good when we perceive that others haven’t forgiven us for something,” said Christine Proulx, study co-author and an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. “When we think about forgiveness and characteristics of people who are forgiving – altruistic, compassionate, empathetic – these people forgive others and seem to compensate for the fact that others aren’t forgiving them. It sounds like moral superiority, but it’s not about being a better person. It’s ‘I know that this hurts because it’s hurting me,’ and those people are more likely to forgive others, which appears to help decrease levels of depression, particularly for women.”