man holding up sign that says forgiveness

Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash

Recommended article: What Other Cultures can Teach us about Forgiveness by William Park on the BBC website

From the article:

Forgiving someone else can have a positive effect on your life, but exactly how you forgive someone depends on where in the world you are from.

There is a simple step we can all take that could reduce our stress levels, our risk of heart disease and mental illness.  It can prevent cognitive decline in later life, help you live longer, earn more money and be happier.  While it is no substitute for a healthy diet and regular exercise, it costs nothing and can be done in seconds.  All of this can be yours in exchange for three little words:  “I forgive you.”

The author asks the questions: Are there universally recognized qualities to forgiveness that are the same around the world?  And what can we learn about the differences between our forgiving tendencies?