Forgiving and forgetting is good for heart

London, July 30 (IANS) Forgiving others, no matter how badly they may have hurt us, could actually prove to be beneficial for our health, a US study has found.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, found those people who let go of their anger were less likely to see spikes in blood pressure, Daily Mail reported.

The research has been published in the Journal of Biobehavioural Medicines

During the study, over 200 volunteers were asked to think about the time when a friend offended them. Half of the group was told to think about how it angered them while the other half was advised to consider it in a more forgiving manner.

Both the groups were then distracted for five minutes and then told to rethink about the event in any way they wish to while the group members were wired up to monitors, observing blood pressure and heart rate.

The team, led by Britta Larsen, found the angry group saw the highest increase in blood pressure compared to the forgiving group after the first ruminating session.

The effect was seen later on despite having the brief timeout period to calm down. However, there was no differences in heart rate.

Maybe that's why the idiom that to err is human, to forgive divine.