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According to a bit of research from the Ohio State University, the best apologies contain two elements:
- Acknowledgment of responsibility
- Offer of repair
That’s it. It’s also nice—but not really necessary—to express regret, explain how you screwed up, and say you’re sorry. Asking for forgiveness can be tossed in the ash can. Nobody cares.
This is good to know. However, it’s also good to know that this is your typical SocSci study, conducted with some folks online and then repeated with a bunch of undergrads. So this is basically a study of what kind of apology your typical high-IQ 20-year-old appreciates most. Whether this says anything about the rest of us I couldn’t say.
