Of interest, a couple of recent apology-related articles from the L.A. Times that deal with the other side of apologies—forgiveness.

First, we have "You're not sorry? That's OK." The gist of it is, forgiveness is good for you:

A growing corps of researchers thinks they have it. Forgiveness — a virtue embraced by almost every religious tradition as a balm for the soul — may be medicine for the body, they suggest. In less than a decade, those preaching and studying forgiveness have amassed an impressive slate of findings on its possible health benefits.

They have shown that "forgiveness interventions" — often just a couple of short sessions in which the wounded are guided toward positive feelings for an offender — can improve cardiovascular function, diminish chronic pain, relieve depression and boost quality of life among the very ill.

Though, of course, it is not quite that simple if you read the whole article.

A companion article, Humans may be hard-wired to have a soft spot, discusses research into a possible evolutionary basis for the capacity and desire to forgive:

Forgiveness of others long predates organized religion as a desirable practice.

Michael McCullough, a psychologist at University of Miami and author of a forthcoming book on the subject, surmises that higher primates and early humans who were more forgiving were more likely to maintain the family and social relations that would help them fend off predators, secure food and go on to reproduce, thereby passing a tendency to forgive on to future generations.

Both interesting reads.