bodhi tree swaying

Several weeks back I spotted this interesting article by Jesse Bering, director of the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. In it he details experimental evidence that despite assumptions to the contrary, exacting revenge upon someone who has cheated you makes you less happy, not more.

In our minds we may imagine that revenge will feel sweet (this is known as “affective forecasting,” in which we make assumptions about how we will feel under a given circumstance) but actually it’s forgiveness that’s sweet.

…as a “punisher,” you would have been given the opportunity to levy a punitive fine against the cheater at the end of the game, thus “teaching her a lesson.” Or, as a “witness,” you would simply observe as one of the other players imposed the fine. Alternatively, you could have found yourself in the control condition in

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