Vikas Singh Jat and Deepak Jahagirdar
SAGE University, Indore (M.P.) India
Pages: 41-55
Positive psychology identifies forgiveness and resilience as vital strengths linked to
subjective happiness. However, the interplay among these constructs across different
stages of adulthood remains underexplored. This paper has sought to develop the
connections between forgiveness, resilience and happiness and explore the issue of
age as a moderator. Specifically, it explored whether resilience mediates the forgiveness–
happiness link and to assess whether the strength and nature of these effects vary
across adulthood when viewed through a lifespan framework. A cross-sectional survey
was conducted with 420 adults’ aged 18–52 using validated scales for forgiveness,
resilience, and happiness. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson
correlations, and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 4 for mediation, Model 1 for
moderation). Normality was confirmed through skewness, kurtosis, and visual
inspection. Forgiveness and resilience demonstrated a significant positive association
with Resilience did not mediate the forgiveness–happiness relationship. However, age
moderated both the direct and indirect paths: resilience predicted happiness more
strongly among younger adults, while forgiveness was more influential among older
adults. Age also strengthened the forgiveness–resilience link across life stages. Age
significantly shapes the psychological pathways to happiness. These findings support
age-sensitive interventions—emphasizing resilience in youth and forgiveness in later
adulthood—to enhance well-being across different stages of life.