Forgive & Forget.

In fact, if you forgive, its is easier to forget. That's the finding of a recent study which lends weight to the advice that it is best to do both. It seems that when you are a victim of a transgression, the best thing you can do is to forgive. If you do,you will be more likely to ignore the precise details of what happened, and you will be more able to move on more quickly. The ability to overcome your strong emotions against someone and also to quash the memory of something you want to ignore are both linked to the same mechanisms in your brain.

The research was done at the University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It also revealed that if you choose NOT to forgive, then the details of the scenario of the "crime" remain in your mind in greater detail. As one psychologist explained: "It is well established that to forgive others can have a positive benefit for an individual's physical and mental health. The ability to forget upsetting memories may provide an effective coping strategy that enables people to move on with their lives".


Paul Waters