--- title: Forgiving Yourself Begins with Seeking Forgiveness, Study Finds description: A new study suggests that the surest way out of a guilt trip is to fess up and make amends canonical: https://time.com/99667/forgiveness-baylor-study/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-14T21:09:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:50:25.121Z article:section: Health og:title: Forgiving Yourself Begins with Seeking Forgiveness, Study Finds og:description: A new study suggests that the surest way out of a guilt trip is to fess up and make amends og:url: https://time.com/99667/forgiveness-baylor-study/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8aeb8f1dc4a8eab/69868f6513c79f3f78192151/482143483.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5126 og:image:height: 2883 og:image:alt: 482143483 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Forgiving Yourself Begins with Seeking Forgiveness, Study Finds twitter:description: A new study suggests that the surest way out of a guilt trip is to fess up and make amends twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8aeb8f1dc4a8eab/69868f6513c79f3f78192151/482143483.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Secret to Forgiving Yourself > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey May 14, 2014 9:09 PM UTC  Man showing 'I'm Sorry' sign to angry girlfriend Man showing 'I'm Sorry' sign to angry girlfriend Jamie Grill—Getty Images/Blend Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey May 14, 2014 9:09 PM UTC A new [study](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140513132649.htm) suggests that in order to forgive yourself, first you need to be forgiven by others. Researchers at Baylor University surveyed 269 guilt-wracked subjects to recall past offenses. They told stories of gossiping, cheating and inflicting physical harm, among other guilt trips. They were then asked how much they had forgiven themselves. A striking difference emerged between the participants. Those who had confessed to doing wrong and begged forgiveness from the wronged party were more likely to feel a “moral right” to forgive themselves. Those who had kept their turmoil pent up in their heads reported feeling less of a moral right to forgive themselves, a state of mind which in the long run can contribute to depression and a weakened immune system. “Our study found that making amends gives us permission to let go,” said researcher Thomas Carpenter. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/99667/forgiveness-baylor-study/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/99667/forgiveness-baylor-study/"},"headline":"The Secret to Forgiving Yourself","datePublished":"2014-05-14T21:09:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:50:25.121Z","description":"The surest way out of a guilt trip is to fess up and make amends. 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