We hear the word “sorry”
dozens of times a day, usually about something entirely trivial. For those of
us who are by nature conciliatory, “sorry” is actually a very easy word, one we
bandy about reflexively the moment anyone near us starts to look tense. Even
those who are dispositionally dominant and ordinarily insensitive to others learn
quickly that faking regret can be useful in forging alliances and spreading influence,
provided you don’t overdo it and come off looking weak.
Most of the time we say sorry, we are not sorry at all.