The Global Flourishing Study suggests that forgiveness is shaped by cultural and local influences. Raphael Brasileiro/Pexels, CC BY-SABeing hurt by others is common and can be deeply painful. How we respond can affect our individual and collective well-being. Which raises the question of forgiveness.In the last few decades, researchers have helped us better understand how people experience forgiveness and how it influences our lives. The Global Flourishing Study seeks to enrich this knowledge from a more global perspective. Launched in 2021, the study follows people over time to understand what a good life looks like in different parts of the world – including health, happiness, meaning, relationships, character, and financial security. It’s the first study to measure forgiveness in national samples from many different cultures and contexts. Read more: What makes people flourish? A new survey of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries looks for global patterns and local differences A large part of my work as a psychology scholar looks at human flourishing, including data from the Global Flourishing Study. In the first wave of data from more than 200,000 participants across 22 countries, my colleagues and I found that about 75% of individuals reported they had “often” or “always” forgiven those who had hurt them. Percentages varied across countries, ranging from 41% in Turkey to 92% in Nigeria. All five African countries included in the study – Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania – were ranked in the top six. This shouldn’t be interpreted as implying that one region “does forgiveness better” than another, but it does point to the central role of forgiveness as a human strength on the African continent.The variation across countries around the world suggests that forgiveness is shaped by cultural and contextual influences, including norms for preserving social harmony and religious teachings about responding to wrongdoing. Read more: Which African countries are flourishing? Scientists have a new way of measuring well-being In a new longitudinal analysis using two waves of Global Flourishing Study data collected about one year apart, we looked at whether people who reported being more forgiving tended to report better well-being about a year later. We found that forgiveness predicted somewhat higher well-being on many of the 56 outcomes, including mental health, purpose in life, relationship satisfaction and hope.Decades of research have pointed to similar links. But this new analysis is unique. Because of its cross-national scale and breadth of outcomes, it provides one of the most comprehensive tests of the connection between forgiveness and flourishing.Forgiveness can be strengthenedWe’re often drawn to stories of extraordinary forgiveness, such as when we read in the news about people forgiving perpetrators of extreme violence. But dramatic experiences of forgiveness aren’t part of everyone’s story. The reality is that forgiveness can be difficult for many people. The hopeful news is that forgiveness isn’t a rare quality that some of us have and others lack. Studies have shown that forgiveness is like a muscle we can strengthen. Read more: South Africans are flourishing more than you might expect – here’s why Our large multisite, randomised trial with more than 4,500 individuals across Colombia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, South Africa and Ukraine used a three-hour forgiveness workbook (reflective exercises, writing activities, educational material and the like) that participants completed to help them forgive a specific hurt. We found the workbook improved forgiveness, anxiety, depression and overall well-being. Although some situations may call for more support than a workbook can offer, these results indicate that even a brief do-it-yourself forgiveness workbook can be helpful to many people with unresolved hurts.The workbook is based on the widely studied REACH Forgiveness model and is free to download and use. It’s also available in several languages, making it easier for many people to use in the language they’re most comfortable with. Forgiveness is a processPeople sometimes resist forgiveness because it can seem as though one is being asked to excuse the wrongdoing, abandon justice, or reopen the door to an unsafe relationship. But that’s not what forgiveness means. Forgiveness is a process that involves choosing not to seek payback, working to release resentment, and moving towards greater compassion for the person who hurt us.While many people in the first wave of the Global Flourishing Study endorsed a tendency to forgive others, about 25% of individuals across the countries reported that they had “rarely” or “never” forgiven those who had hurt them. These results suggest there may be value in making resources available for those who want to forgive but find it difficult. This could empower people to pursue forgiveness on their own terms when it’s safe and appropriate. Read more: What we get wrong about forgiveness – a counseling professor unpacks the difference between letting go and making up Initiatives like the Global Forgiveness Movement have been established with this in mind. However, scaling the reach and uptake of forgiveness resources requires partnerships and ongoing engagement across health systems, workplaces, schools, religious communities and civic organisations. This may be especially important in settings where mental health services are less available or accessible.If we can expand opportunities for people to consider, access and engage with forgiveness tools in ways that preserve autonomy, safety and justice, the benefits to individual well-being may ripple outward into a more flourishing humanity. That possibility invites each of us to consider how we can participate in making the world a more forgiving place.Richard G. Cowden works for the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, which coordinates the Global Forgiveness Movement.