Mindfulness and Religiosity as Predictors of Forgiveness

Abstract

In recent years’ forgiveness and mindfulness have received increasing empirical attention. Historically, both were primarily associated with religiosity/spirituality. It was not until forgiveness and mindfulness were studied as psychological constructs that their wide variety of positive health and behavior outcomes were empirically recognized. Although mindfulness and forgiveness have each been linked to a range of psychological and physiological health benefits, little research has been conducted on their relation to one another—especially in the context of religiosity. Further, little is known about the degree to which mindfulness and religiosity predict forgiveness. In the current study, forgiveness was found to be positively related to both mindfulness and intrinsic religiosity, with mindfulness being a stronger predictor of forgiveness than religiosity.