Granting Forgiveness or Harboring Grudges: Implications forEmotion, Physiology, and Health

ABS News cited a study published in Psychology Science, where researchers at Hope College asked college students to recall a hurtful situation that involved another person. Their heart beats increased, and blood pressure rose when the students either rehearsed the hurtful experience or harbored grudges. But when the students chose to empathize with the person who hurt them, and focus on their human qualities, their heart rate fell an average of a half-beat every four seconds.