Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
5-2015
Abstract
Research shows that in the aftermath of conflict, forgiveness improves victims’ well-being and the victim–offender relationship. Building on the research on embodied perception and economy of action, we demonstrate that forgiveness also has implications for victims’ perceptions and behavior in the physical domain. Metaphorically, unforgiveness is a burden that can be lightened by forgiveness; we show that people induced to feel forgiveness perceive hills to be less steep (Study 1) and jump higher in an ostensible fitness test (Study 2) than people who are induced to feel unforgiveness. These findings suggest that forgiveness may lighten the physical burden of unforgiveness, providing evidence that forgiveness can help victims overcome the negative effects of conflict.
Keywords
forgiveness, heaviness, embodied perception, action, conflict
Discipline
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Research Areas
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources
Publication
Social Psychological and Personality Science
Volume
6
Issue
4
First Page
431
Last Page
438
ISSN
1948-5506
Identifier
10.1177/1948550614564222
Publisher
SAGE
Embargo Period
10-1-2018
Citation
XUE, Zheng; FEHR, Ryan; TAI, Kenneth; NARAYANAN, Jayanth; and GELFAND, Michele J..
The unburdening effects of forgiveness: Effects on slant perception and jumping height. (2015). Social Psychological and Personality Science. 6, (4), 431-438.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5897
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550614564222