All religions teach the value of forgiveness over revenge, and yet we know how difficult it is to follow this sage advice, even though revenge leads to an abundance of social, interpersonal, and even physical problems. Eminent psychology of religion researcher Michael McCullough explains why forgiveness is so difficult and revenge so tempting. He makes the case that the human bias toward choosing revenge is ultimately costly to individuals and societies, and offers hope for why it might be possible to help individuals and society become more forgiving.

Michael E. McCullough (Miami, FL), an internationally recognized expert on the topic of forgiveness, is an affiliated scientist with the Duke Center for Religion/Spirituality and Health, and is a professor at the University of Miami.