Women apologize more often than men do, a new study showed。

一项最新调查研究表明，女性要比男性更频繁地道歉。

But it's not that men are reluctant to admit wrongdoings, the study showed. It's just that they have a higher threshold for what they think warrants reparation. When the researchers looked at the number of apologies relative to the number of offenses¹ the participants perceived they had committed, the researchers saw no differences between the genders²。

研究显示，并不是男性不愿意道歉，只是他们认为值得道歉的标准应该更高一些。当研究人员把被调查者道歉的次数和他们认为自己冒犯别人的次数放在一起比较，结果发现两性之间不存在差异。

Study researcher Karina Schumann and her colleagues conducted two studies to see if genders do indeed differ in how often they apologize, and if so, why this might be。

调查研究者卡莉娜·舒曼表和她的同事们进行两项研究试验，来观察两性是否在道歉的频率上存在差异，如果有，这些差异是因何而起。

In one, 33 university students aged 18 to 44 kept an online dairy for 12 days documenting whether they apologized or did something they thought required an apology, even if they didn't actually say they were sorry. They also kept track of how often they felt someone had committed an offensive act against them that warranted an apology。

第一个试验要求年龄在18岁到44岁的33名大学生连续12天记录网络日志，在日志里注明那些自己做错了但没有道歉的事情，或者自己没有道歉，但是自认为应该道歉的事情。他们还要跟踪记录多久他们会认为有人对他们做出冒犯的事情，而冒犯者应该为此向他们道歉。

Women apologized more and reported committing more offensive acts, but both men and women apologized about 81 percent of the time when they deemed their actions offensive。

记录显示女性道歉次数更多，做出冒犯的事情也比较多。但是研究显示无论男女，当他们认为自己做错事情，承认错误的比例都是81%。

In the second study, 120 undergraduates rated how severe they thought a particular offensive was. For instance, they had to imagine they woke their friend up late at night, and because of the sleep disturbance³, the friend did poorly on an interview the next day. Women rated the offenses as more severe than men did, and women were also more likely to say the friend deserved an apology。

在第二个研究试验中，120名本科生对一项特定的冒犯进行严重程度评级。例如，他们必须想象他们在夜里很晚的时候把朋友给吵醒，朋友因为睡眠被打扰，所以在第二天的面试中表现很差。在研究中，女性认为自己冒犯朋友的程度要比男性高，而且女性会认为她们应该对朋友道歉。

Women might have a lower threshold for what requires an apology because they are more concerned with the emotional experiences of others and in promoting harmony in their relationships, Schumann speculated。

舒曼推测，(相比男性)，女性的道歉标准更低一些是因为他们更关注其他人的情感体验，也更希望和其他人保持融洽的关系。

Recognizing that men and women may perceive situations differently may help the genders to get along。

认识到两性在认知周围环境时存在差异可以帮助他们更好地相处。

The studies, detailed⁴ in the journal Psychological Science Online, were small and involved only university students, so the findings might not be applicable to all men and women in general。

这些调查详细刊登在《心理学科学杂志》网络版，因为调查对象人数较少，又都是大学生，所以一般来说，这些发现并不适用于所有的男性和女性。