The weight of a guilty conscience isn’t just an expression; it’s scientific fact. New research from the University of Waterloo and Princeton University finds that feelings of guilt can actually make you feel heavier.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, tested 153 Canadian college students. One group was asked to recall and describe a situation in which they acted ethically, while the other group recalled a situation in which they acted unethically. The researchers then asked them how much they thought they weighed.
Those who were prompted to recall an unethical act believed that they weighed significantly more than they actually did, compared to those who conjured moral memories.
“This research is demonstrating that perhaps how we think about the emotion of guilt should be broadened to also include our bodily experiences, and how our bodies interact with world,” says study coauthor Martin Day, a researcher at Princeton University and a postdoctoral research associate at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. “If we start thinking about guilt as more than a negative feeling, it may lead to a broader understanding of emotions, as well as the consequences of emotions.”
Fortunately, this effect is likely transient, says Day. “Similar to the experience of guilty feelings, other sensations associated with guilt are likely momentary and fade with time.”
So the next time you’re weighed down by remorse for some past bad act, just remember: It’s all in your head, not in your gut.
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