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Grudges are bad for both physical and mental health
By
Maya Brownstein
October 8, 2026
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Holding a grudge can be a mental burden—and can also harm physical health, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Tyler VanderWeele.
VanderWeele, John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology, was among the experts featured in an Oct. 4 CBS News report about the harmful nature of grudges, or what VanderWeele referred to as “unforgiveness.”
“Unforgiveness is essentially like drinking a poison and hoping the other person dies, he told CBS. “It doesn’t work.”
Research by VanderWeele and colleagues at the Human Flourishing Program has found that unforgiveness can have serious health consequences. “Studies indicate [that those who hold grudges have] greater levels of cardiovascular trouble, higher levels of depression, higher levels of anxiety,” he said. Forgiveness, meanwhile, is linked to well-being. That’s the course of action he recommends someone take after being wronged.
“Forgiveness is the letting-go of a grudge, the replacing of ill will towards an offender with goodwill,” he said. “It’s not all that needs to take place to provide restoration and reconciliation, but I do think it’s always appropriate. Have goodwill, even when one’s been hurt.”
He also noted that while grudges are personal, the tendency to hold them is in part driven by culture.
“One [reason why grudges are so often held] is the public nature of the grudges that are now possible through social media,” VanderWeele said. “Some of it also is an abandonment of discussions of character and what good character looks like and what good character requires.”
Read or watch the CBS report:
Letting go: Why holding onto grudges can be damaging
Learn more:
Across the globe, forgiveness is linked with well-being (Harvard Chan School news)
About The Author
Maya Brownstein
Media Relations Manager in the Office of Communications
