Research project on
forgiveness seeks volunteers
BY JAMES ROBINSON
While Americans have been
debating whether they can forgive President Bill Clinton,
some Stanford researchers believe the act of forgiving is
psychologically beneficial and are looking for people to
help test their hypothesis.
"So many of us
everywhere hold grudges, don't let go of things, get
frustrated and uptight about little things," said
Frederic Luskin, a postdoctoral fellow in the
Complementary and Alternative Medical Program at Stanford
who is director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project.
The project is currently
recruiting 125 people between the ages of 25 and 49 for a
research study in forgiveness. The research study is an
outgrowth of a more limited project undertaken two years
ago that involved 55 Stanford students and demonstrated
the benefits of forgiveness.
Participants in the new
project need to be experiencing unresolved anger toward
another person. Some of those chosen will spend 90
minutes a week for six weeks in workshops designed to
improve their personal relationships and better manage
the stress in their lives.
The study is being run
through the School of Education with a $200,000 grant
from the Templeton Foundation. Luskin is working on the
project with Carl E. Thoresen, professor of education,
psychology and psychiatry.
"We, as a culture,
suffer from the lack of forgiveness," Luskin said.
"Forgiveness as an area of scientific interest is
brand new. I just believe it's such a valuable skill to
learn and such a neglected aspect of interpersonal
behavior that its absence is chilling and telling
culturally, knowing the fact that so many of us
everywhere hold grudges."
In the earlier study,
participants were asked to rate the hurt they felt from
not forgiving someone. In a range of 1-10, most ranked
their hurt at 8. After the project was completed, they
ranked their hurt at about a 3, Luskin said. Two and a
half months later the level stayed the same.
The study also found that
by not harboring grudges the participants became less
angry. "Their level of hopefulness for the future
also significantly increased, and they even felt more
spiritual," Luskin said.
Luskin hopes the research
may end up showing a mind-body link with issues of
forgiveness. For example, a reduction of stress could
lower the risks of cardiovascular disease in some people.
He explained why the issue
of forgiveness has not received much attention from
psychologists.
"The major interest
in the field of psychology is in what's wrong with people
-- why they're depressed, what are some of the reasons we
get so angry at people, what are some of the reasons
relationships don't work out," he said. "The
dollars go to treatment of people who are already sick.
Very little money and energy goes toward how to help
normal folks cope and get a little better."
Luskin believes the
exercise of letting go of a grudge can have broader
effects than just forgiving a particular person.
"Generally speaking,
not only can we teach you to forgive a particular person
who has hurt you but through that process you can learn
to generally become a less angry, less easily insulted
soul and that process will probably help you become a
little more optimistic, feel more in control of yourself,
and possibly help you build better relationships on the
whole."
While the project brings
together groups of 15 people to learn how to let go of
their grudges, Luskin said the exercise is not group
therapy.
"You teach them how
to think differently about things that upset them and
also teach them how to use a kind of meditation practice
that helps them shift their emotions to more positive
emotions," he said.
Men and women between the
ages of 25 and 49 who are interested in participating in
the study -- they need not be associated with Stanford --
should call or e-mail Stephanie Evans at (650) 400-5050
or sevans@leland.stanford.edu. Participants will receive $25. SR
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