Evolved to forgive: people are more forgiving than you’d think

Scientists report that humans might be quick to judge, but we may have also evolved to be quick to forgive.

A recent study found that when assessing the moral character of others, people cling to good impressions but readily adjust their opinions about those who have behaved badly, according to new research.

This flexibility in judging transgressors might help explain both how humans forgive — and why they sometimes stay in bad relationships, said the study’s authors.

The research — conducted by psychologists at Yale, University of Oxford, University College London, and the International School for Advanced Studies — appeared Sept. 17 in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Sources:
We are predisposed to forgive, new research suggests
Beliefs about bad people are volatile