Luther College professor studies the power of forgiveness

English writer Alexander Pope once famously wrote, "To err is human; to forgive, divine."  But a Luther College professor's research is suggesting "To forgive is healthy."

Luther College psychologist Loren Toussaint and colleagues investigated the relationships among forgiveness, religiousness, spirituality, health, and mortality in a national U.S. sample of 1500 adults age 66 and older. The study, published in the "Journal of Behavioral Medicine," suggests that people who are able to forgive live longer than those who cannot.

The study discovered that people who will only forgive others if they first receive an apology from the other person died earlier than people who were able to forgive unconditionally.

Toussaint's research suggested that people whose forgiveness is conditional continue to harbor resentment and grudges, emotions that can stress the heart and lead to an earlier death.  By contrast, people who forgave unconditionally had less stress and were more likely to reap the health benefits.

In other words, his research suggests you shouldn't wait for others to apologize to you or to promise that they will change.  Start forgiving now and you'll be happier and will possibly live longer.

(A summary of Toussaint's research is available on-line at: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201301/live-longer-practicing-forgiveness