Forgiveness Is Associated with the Ability to Downregulate Negative Affect Independent of Aggression, Positive Affect Regulation, and Anxiety

We examined the ability to upregulate positive affect and the ability to downregulate negative affect to achive a goal, accounting for aggression and anxiety, in relation to the tendency to forgive. Downregulation of negative affect was predictive of the tendency to forgive, even when accounting for aggression and anxiety.