Study Finds Forgiveness Reduces 40% of Anger, Loneliness, and Stress Levels

A 40 percent reduction in depression was observed among Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland who lost a family member to violence and subsequently forgave the perpetrator, according to one peer-reviewed study cited in new psychological analysis.

Another investigation led by psychologist Loren Toussaint followed 332 adults over five weeks and concluded that practicing forgiveness correlated with improved mental health and diminished stress levels. Additional findings indicate that forgiving individuals report less loneliness, reduced anger and depression, heightened empathy, and greater relational closeness.

What Forgiveness Does Not Require

Forgiveness does not entail forgetting. The analogy offered is clear: if someone falls into a ditch, erasing memory of its location increases the risk of repeating the fall. Nor does forgiveness obligate renewed trust. In many instances, it facilitates emotional and psychological detachment from the relationship—even when physical separation is not pursued.

“While trust binds, forgiveness releases,” the analysis states. “While forgiveness is needed for personal development, trust is needed for relational development.” Trust, the text notes, carries inherent risk: an individual may regain trust after wrongdoing—such as infidelity—and then repeat the harm.

The Personal Cost of Unresolved Resentment

Resentment is defined using its Latin roots—re (again) and sentire (to feel)—as the repeated re-experiencing of anger until paralysis sets in. Saint Augustine’s fourth-century observation is quoted directly: “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Contrary to common assumption, the person unable to forgive is rarely the one who becomes socially isolated. “That person is us,” the analysis asserts. It further states that unresolved resentment anchors emotional injury in the present, permitting the blamed individual to occupy mental space long after the event.

Political Resentment and Its Scale

Resentment is described as highly visible and pervasive, especially within political arenas worldwide. In the United States, political polarization has reached its highest point since the Civil War, per documentation referenced in related commentary. A Pew Research Center survey found 58 percent of Americans hold unfavorable views of the Republican Party and 59 percent hold unfavorable views of the Democratic Party.

A Cambridge University study is cited showing hostile messages targeting outgroups are shared or retweeted twice as often as those directed toward ingroups. A newer Pew typology identifies nine distinct American political factions, each shaped by competing identities and values—suggesting divisions now extend beyond traditional bipartisanship.

Forgiveness as Relational Lubricant

Without forgiveness, individuals remain “interpersonally stuck,” unable to freely enter new relationships or restore trust in others. Forgiveness creates space—not necessarily for reconciliation with the original party—but for relationships to launch and flourish anew, whether with that person or someone entirely different.

“Once bitten, twice shy” reflects common caution, but the analysis adds a parallel principle: “Once unable to forgive, twice unable to socially engage.” The conclusion urges readers to try forgiveness, observing how both old and new relationships evolve—and, where possible, thrive—around them.