Although the act of forgiveness is often debated by religious groups, Worthington has found that a secular approach to forgiveness can also be a useful strategy in improving health. Did Survey conducted in 5 countries When forgiveness is taught, practiced, and achieved, it has been shown to result in improved mental and overall well-being.
“Forgiveness changes the dynamics of relationships and can prevent many very costly things that can happen in society,” said Worthington, professor emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University. You don’t have to forgive — it’s your choice.”
Forgiveness as a public health issue
Worthington developed a workbook to include exercises and prompts that allow people to explore feelings of anger and resentment and learn to let go of them.
newest version, Free to download Available in five languages, it promises to make you a more tolerant person in about two hours, explores specific transgressions, and includes thought exercises to help you deal with feelings of anger and resentment. Based on the most effective exercises. Used in previous researchare condensed to save time and make the program more accessible.
A randomized study conducted with 4,598 participants in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ukraine, Colombia, and South Africa asked half of the participants to complete a workbook exercise over two weeks. (The other half could try the workbook later.)
After two weeks, the study showed that the workbook promoted forgiveness and showed a statistically significant reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms in users compared to the control group. The research will be presented at Harvard University this weekend. An interdisciplinary conference on forgiveness. The study was published as a preprint in conjunction with the conference and is under review for publication by a medical journal.
Similar studies in the United States have also shown benefits. The findings have broad implications for public health, said Tyler VanderWeele, professor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and director of public health. human prosperity program.
“I think the experience of being mistreated is common,” said VanderWeele, co-author of the new study and organizer of the Harvard conference. “We have found that this Forgiveness Workbook can be used to address forgiveness and improve mental health. .”
Other researchers, led by Robert Enright, Professor of Educational Psychology The University of Wisconsin-Madison also focuses on forgiveness programs for youth. Their workbooks and teacher training programs are shared with thousands of educators around the world.
Studies show that forgiving children perform better in school and, overall, forgiveness lowers blood pressure, improves sleep, and reduces anxiety.
When Forgiveness Feels Impossible
Worthington can empathize with those who think they cannot forgive because of their circumstances. His belief in forgiveness was shaken when his mother was murdered in 1996. He was forced to deal with his own anger at the perpetrators and the police for foiling the investigation.
“Suddenly I had people come here who had learned to forgive and had to really deal with something more serious than I had ever been through before,” he said.
He was able to forgive a man who was suspected of murder.It was more difficult, he said, to forgive a police officer who conducted a sloppy investigation. This experience has taught me that the desire for forgiveness and justice are not mutually exclusive.
He also learned that sometimes it can be even harder to let go of small sins. “I’m not the super-generous type,” Worthington said. “I think a lot about the professor who gave me a B in grad school. It took me ten years to forgive him.”
Proponents of forgiveness training say it’s important to know when and where to forgive. For example, someone in an abusive relationship should not be forgiven. They should seek safety.
“Scientifically, it’s clear that it works,” said Andrew Selagin, president of the Templeton World Charitable Foundation, which helped fund the study. It works inside your own skin.It doesn’t mean you can’t seek justice.It doesn’t mean people can’t be brought to justice.It doesn’t mean you can’t get results.”
The first step to forgiveness is deciding to forgive. To gain emotional forgiveness, you need to let go and stop dwelling on the wrongs you’ve been wronged. It takes a conscious choice to replace feelings of malice toward a person with feelings of goodwill. “Emotional forgiveness takes time,” Worthington said.
Recent research has focused on the REACH method of forgiveness. REACH stands for:
- Recall: Remember the wound. Look at events objectively and don’t try to push your feelings away.
- Empathize: Empathize with your offender — without excusing your actions or invalidating your own feelings. Maybe the person was having a bad day or grew up in a miserable situation.
- Altruistic Gifts: Give the altruistic gift of forgiveness. Think about a time when you were rude or rude and recognize that everyone has flaws.
- Commit: Make a decision to forgive. To help fulfill a promise, you can write a letter without sending it.
- Hold: Hold forgiveness. The memory of the violation or event does not change. But how you react to those feelings is up to you.
Studies on forgiveness have shown that people benefit from interventions, but they also found that the effects can wear off over time, highlighting the need to keep practicing. Practice can start with small deeds. If someone cuts you in line or is rude to you at the checkout, use it as an opportunity to forgive and recognize that the bad behavior is not personal.
“Forgiveness doesn’t solve all problems,” Worthington said. “But forgiveness is liberation. It’s the right response to being wronged.”
