'Forgive And Forget': Depression Risk Lowered When You Do This

You should "forgive and forget," as they say. And now, science proves it. The findings are published in the journal Aging and Mental Health.

A team of researchers in the University of Missouri College of Human Environmental Sciences discovered that older women who forgave others were less likely to report depressive symptoms regardless of whether they felt unforgiven by others. Furthermore, older men also reported the highest levels of depression when they forgave others and felt unforgiven by others.

"It doesn't feel good when we perceive that others haven't forgiven us for something," Christine Proulx, study co-author and an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, said in a statement. "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."

For the study, researchers analyzed data from the Religion, Aging, and Health Survey, a national survey of more than 1,000 adults ages 67 years and older. Survey participants answered questions about their religion, health and psychological well-being.

The researchers chose to study forgiveness among an older population and how certain tendencies reflected on their lives, particularly their relationships, including both wrongdoers and those who had experienced wrongdoing. 

"As people get older, they become more forgiving," Ashley Ermer, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "Our population also predominately was Christian, which may influence individuals' willingness to forgive and could function differently among individuals with different beliefs."

Findings revealed that men and women who felt unforgiven by others are somewhat protected against depression if they are able to forgive themselves. However, the researchers noted their surprise when discovering that forgiving oneself did not more significantly reduce levels of depression. 

Related Articles

Parkinson's Disease Risk Higher In Patients With Depression

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).