The One Word You Need to Stop Overusing

When we’re put in the awkward position of having to turn someone down—for a job, an invitation, or a relationship, for example—we at least want to let them down easily. Now, research suggests one way we can potentially make those rejections sting a little bit less: Don’t apologize.

The study, recently published in Frontiers in Psychology, contradicts pretty much everything we’ve ever been told about manners, communication, and basic human decency.