Most adults intuitively sense that holding grudges costs something emotionally — but pinning down the precise psychological pathway from letting go to feeling better has proven elusive. This cross-sectional study offers a structured model linking forgiveness to three distinct dimensions of well-being, with gratitude functioning as an active intermediary rather than a mere correlate, suggesting that gratitude may be the mechanism clinicians and wellness practitioners should target.
Drawing on a convenience sample of adults from urban and rural communities in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, researchers applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to test whether gratitude mediates the forgiveness–well-being link. Forgiveness demonstrated significant direct effects on psychological, social, and subjective well-being (all p < 0.001), while gratitude independently predicted all three well-being dimensions with standardized coefficients ranging from 0.337 to 0.352. Critically, gratitude emerged as a partial mediator — meaning forgiveness improves well-being both directly and by cultivating a disposition toward thankfulness. A multi-group gender analysis further revealed that the forgiveness-to-gratitude pathway was significantly stronger among male participants (p = 0.035), a finding that distinguishes this work from earlier research conducted in Western, predominantly female samples.
This study adds incremental but meaningful specificity to a growing body of positive psychology research. Prior work has established bidirectional links between forgiveness and mental health outcomes, and gratitude interventions — gratitude journaling, three-good-things exercises — are among the most replicated tools in wellbeing science. What this study contributes is a testable structural model connecting both constructs simultaneously. That said, several limitations temper enthusiasm: the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, convenience sampling limits generalizability, and the Saudi Arabian context — with its particular cultural and religious framing of forgiveness — may not translate directly to other populations. The gender difference finding is intriguing but requires replication. Overall, this is a confirmatory and contextually useful study rather than a paradigm-shifting one, reinforcing that forgiveness-based interventions may derive part of their potency from gratitude cultivation.
