The psychology of forgiveness with Michael McCullough

The psychology of forgiveness with Michael McCullough

Worklife with Adam Grant · 2025-06-03
29:52

In this season of WorkLife, we’re pairing each of our regular episodes with a companion interview to do a deeper dive into the topic. This is the companion for our episode on the secrets of a great apology. Michael McCullough is a psychology professor at UC San Diego and a pioneer in the study of forgiveness, gratitude, and empathy—he finds that although forgiveness is important, it isn’t always the answer to conflict. Michael and Adam discuss why humans evolved to forgive, examine what causes people to hold grudges, and settle last episode’s debate about whether it’s appropriate to ask for forgiveness.    


Host: Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: adamgrant.net/)

Guest: Michael McCullough (Website: michael-mccullough.com/


Links

psychology.ucsd.edu/people/profiles/mmccullough.html


Subscribe to TED 

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/worklife/worklife-with-adam-grant-transcripts


Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey!


Learn more about TED Next at ted.com/futureyou

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Worklife with Adam Grant

You spend a quarter of your life at work. You should enjoy it! Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to discover the keys to a better work life. From learning how to love your rivals to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again. Produced in partnership with Transmitter Media.


Follow Adam on Instagram @adamgrant, LinkedIn at @adammgrant

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

¿Donde puedes escuchar?

Apple Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo Podtail Logo Google Podcasts Logo RSS

Episodios