According to a new study, women apologize more often than men do. In this study, it found that it isn't because men are more reluctant to admit wrongdoing, but that they have "a higher threshold for what they think warrants reparation." Researchers have found no difference in the number of apologies between the two genders.
"The findings might have implications for how men and women communicate with each other." says Karina Schumann, a doctoral student at the University of Waterloo.
Schumann also speculates that "women might have a lower threshold for what require an apology because they are more concerned with the emotional experiences of others and in promoting harmony in their relationships."
In such cases, it does appear that women are more sympathetic and would more likely apologize than men. Although because men and women think differently, it would be better to recognize that both genders perceive situations differently.
Personally, I believe that women do apologize more, but this is also because of how their brain works. I think the reason for this is not because women actually apologize more than men, but in the way that they apologize. I think that women are more verbal in their apology than men, while men tend to apologize through their actions. According to the study shown in the article, "both men and women apologized about 81 percent of the time when they deemed their actions offensive." Therefore, it is also likely that because men believe their offensive act does not warrant an apology, causing the belief that an apology is not necessary.
I remember in AP Biology class last year, we studied about the differences between men and women's brain and how they really do think differently. Women are often stereotyped as being more emotional than men, but actually, they are both just as emotional. The main difference between the two genders, is again, how each gender deals with it. Therefore, it is likely that the reason why the study showed that women apologized more because they thought their actions were more offensive than the men thought of theirs. So, speculate yourself whether you believe women are more prone to apologize because I believe why yes, they are more likely to, because of how their brain functions.
Source:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39384763/ns/health-behavior/
2 comments:
Dear Vivian,
I agree with you that the reason why women apologize more may because their apologies are often verbal, whereas men's apologies are more likely through actions. In addition, the reason, that I think, causes the phenomenon in which men apologize more through actions than through words might because that men usually have higher self-esteem than women do, and an apology through action might make their mistakes less obvious.
Here's an interesting thought: what if it stems from socialization. Being more apologetic is a behavior which is ingrained through social conditioning in a more male dominated society. Could this have an effect on biological processes happening in the brain? Very thought provoking.
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