Apologizing may just be the thing you need for better health, according to experts and researchers. Clinical psychologist Daniel Watter, Ph.D. of the Morris Psychological Group in New Jersey shares that saying a heartfelt "sorry" can have a significant impact on one's health.
The motivation and reason behind a person's apology play a crucial role in creating either a positive or a negative effect on one's physical and psychological health and wellbeing. According to Dr. Watter, saying sorry without meaning it can imply that the person still has bottled up negative emotions inside. This is not healthy, as negative emotions simply do not go away. In fact, if left unexpressed and mishandled, these emotions simmer out of a person through a psychological problem such as anxiety or depression, or even physically through conditions such as ulcers, muscle aches, and heart disease. Bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders have also been linked to suppressed emotions.
Meanwhile, apologizing in a remorseful and sincere approach helps relieve bottled up emotions, thereby freeing the person of deep emotional and physical burden. This has been confirmed in a study entitle "Conciliatory gestures promote forgiveness and reduce anger in humans", which was published in 2011. The research findings showed that saying sorry reduces anger and other manifestations of internal negativity.
A sincere, heartfelt apology has more chances of resolving a relationship problem, which in turn reduces stress, stabilizes hormonal levels, and normalizes energy levels. However, Dr. Watter has a caveat-being the recipient of the apology can do more harm than good if you forgive someone who has caused you a great deal of hurt, yet does not show any sign of remorse. Dr. Watter advises that it is better to talk about the problem rather than give a half-baked, instant apology.
Remorse seems to be a key ingredient. Dr. Watter concludes that saying sorry is healthy and beneficial for both parties if it is motivated by sincerity and the genuine desire to patch up problems.