Benefits of Forgiveness
A common misconception about forgiveness is that it benefits the forgiven more than the forgiver (Gassin, 1998). In contrast to this idea, often people choose to forgive because of the personal benefits they will receive through the act.
These benefits include increased confidence, in addition to mental and physical health benefits (Exline & Baumesiter, 2000). McCullough et al. (1997) explain that the process of forgiving allows people to reestablish the sense that their actions make a difference in what happens to them, that they have some control over events. It also restores their sense of importance after the hurtful event told them they do not matter.People who forgive may also want to avoid the negative mental health outcomes, which include social dysfunction, psychoticism, and depression (Maltby & Day, 2001).
Worthington and Scherer (2004) argue that unforgiveness has negative physical health effects because it is stressful. They base their claim on similarities in brain activity, hormonal patters, sympathetic nervous system activity, facial tension, and blood chemistry. The authors then proposed that forgiveness can positively affect physical health because it might reduce hostility, affect the immune system at both the cellular and neuro-endocrine levels, and affect central nervous system processes.