The Ripple Effect of Forgiveness in Greece: The Indirect Journey to Life Satisfaction

This study examines the relationships between forgiveness, resilience, positive experiences, and life satisfaction, with a focus on potential indirect pathways that link these constructs. Rather than assuming a direct effect of forgiveness on life satisfaction, we examined whether resilience and positive experiences act as mediators in this association. A cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected from 751 Greek adults using the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The findings revealed limited direct effects of forgiveness on life satisfaction. However, significant indirect effects emerged, particularly for self-forgiveness and situational forgiveness, operating through resilience and positive experiences. These results suggest that the role of forgiveness in well-being may be more accurately understood through its associations with adaptive functioning and emotional well-being. While the results are preliminary due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, they offer support for expanding existing models of forgiveness to include indirect psychological mechanisms. Future studies employing longitudinal designs are necessary to confirm these pathways and their implications for interventions aimed at enhancing well-being.