該研究博得稱讚，因為它引出實際狀況的反應，紐約Syracuse大學心理教授Kevin S. Masters博士在發表後的討論時表示，之前許多研究要求研究對象想像(被冒犯)，但是效果不彰。Masters博士曾經考慮類似的實驗設計，他指出，不過，因為擔心機構回顧委員會的通過與否而未進行，看來我當時太膽小了。
Women Calm Down After an Apology, Men Get More Worked Up
By Jim Kling
Medscape Medical News
April 12, 2010 (Seattle, Washington) — Women’s blood pressure returns to normal more swiftly when they receive an apology after an insult, whereas men recover more slowly, new research presented here at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 31st Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions shows.
Prior studies have shown that forgiveness can influence physiologic reactivity and recovery when people revisit a memory of a past transgression. The aim of the current study was to investigate physiologic effects after a live incident.
For the study, investigators recruited 29 men and 50 women who were tested for levels of forgiving using the Forgiving Personality Inventory. Subjects were asked to perform a serial subtraction task, beginning with 9000 and subtracting 7. They were exposed to multiple interruptions from the experimenter while performing the task. Interjections included statements such as, "Look, you’re too slow and also inaccurate," That can’t be your best," and "You’re obviously not good enough at doing this."
A total of 40 participants received an apology from the experimenter. Those who scored high in forgiveness displayed faster recovery of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (F 1,70 = 4.88, P < .05) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) (F 1,70 = 3.96, P < .05) after the apology.
The effect was most apparent in the immediate aftermath of the apology, when women who scored high in forgiveness had a lower DBP (F 1,23 = 8.75, P < .01) and MAP (F 1,23 = 8.56, P < .01) when compared with low forgiveness women, who had little response to the apology (P > .05).
Women who received an apology recovered faster than women who did not (DBP: F 1,47 = 8.71, P < .01; MAP: F 1,47 = 7.00, P < .01). In men, the effect was reversed. Those who received an apology displayed higher DBP (F 1,26 = 5.13, P < .05) and MAP (F 1,26 = 6.71, P < .05) on recovery than those who received no apology.
The results suggest that people with higher forgiveness levels experience greater attenuation of the cardiovascular stress that can occur as a result of a transgression. However, the beneficial effects of an apology appear to be dependent on sex.
It is premature to say how these findings translate into clinical research, but the difference in men’s and women’s reaction to apologies could potentially be applied to marital therapy, Matthew Whited, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, who presented the research, told Medscape Psychiatry. "Even nonverbal communication, such as rolling one’s eyes, affects the physiology [of the other person]."
The study drew praise because it elicits reaction to a real-world situation. "A lot of previous studies ask participants to imagine [a transgression]. It’s hard to go anywhere with that," Kevin S. Masters, PhD, professor of psychology at Syracuse University in New York, said during a discussion period after the presentation. Dr. Masters has considered similar experimental designs, he added, but declined to pursue them for fear of having to navigate an institutional review board. "It turned out I was [too] chicken [to do it]."
Another attendee wondered if the participants could have misinterpreted the interruptions. "In an academic setting, they could have seen it as honest feedback [on their performance]. I think it would be better if the study involved genuine aggression," Kathleen Lawler-Row, PhD, professor and chair of psychology at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, told Medscape Psychiatry. Nevertheless, she was impressed by the study. "It was a powerful [study] design."
The study did not receive commercial support. Dr. Whited, Dr. Masters, and Dr. Lawler-Row have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
