Too tired to take offense: When depletion promotes forgiveness

Although self-regulatory depletion has a broad range of adverse consequences, recent research has established that it can yield prosocial outcomes under certain circumstances. The present experiment examined the interaction between depletion and offense severity on forgiveness of romantic offenses. Consistent with prior research, results revealed that depleted (vs. non-depleted) individuals were less forgiving of severe offenses. In a counterintuitive reversal, however, depleted (vs. non-depleted) individuals were more forgiving of mild offenses. This crossover interaction effect was mediated by perception of offense severity, suggesting that depleted individuals may be especially forgiving of mild offenses because they are simply too tired to take offense at their partner's bad behavior. These findings identify one important instance in which depletion can promote salutary relationship processes.

► We examined the interactive effects of depletion and offense type on forgiveness.
► Depleted (vs. non-depleted) individuals were less forgiving of severe offenses.
► Depleted (vs. non-depleted) individuals were more forgiving of mild offenses.
► Mediation by perceived offense severity also emerged.
► Depletion yields prosocial outcomes under certain circumstances in relationships.