The Anatomy of an Apology

Tuesday, 19 October 2010 | by Pat's Picks

According to a new study, women apologize more than men. The Wall Street Journal says that doesn’t mean they offend more people but rather that they are offended more often and frequently excuse their behavior. Men are just as likely to apologize as women when they feel their behavior warrants it. Making up the deficit? Something one interviewee calls “fraudulent apologies,” which sound like this: “I don’t know why you’re unhappy, but I’m sorry.”

Be sure to click through to the article—writer Elizabeth Bernstein has some interesting stats on who we apologize to (friends—46%; family—7%) and advice for how to do it better (don’t be defensive).