USA Todayshows us that women apologize more than men (and want more apologies from men) because they have a different standard for offensive behavior.
Sharon Jayson writes (excerpt):
New research on apologies from Canadian psychologists finds that men have a “higher threshold” for bad behavior, meaning they just don’t see “wrong” the same way women do, according to a study online in the journal Psychological Science.
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“Part of the reason women apologize more is they have a lower threshold for what is offensive behavior,” says Karina Schumann, lead author of the study to appear in print in November.