"How do you fix a word that’s broken? A word we need when we bump into someone on the street, or break someone’s heart. In our increasingly disconnected secular world, 'sorry' has been stretched and twisted, and in some cases weaponized. But it’s also one of the only ways we have to piece together a sense of shared values and beliefs. Through today's sea of sorry-not-sorries, empty apologies, and just straight up non-apologies, we wonder what it looks like to make amends."

The above served as the promo for a December 21st episode of the Radiolab podcast titled "Apologetical," for which Professor Jennifer Robbennolt, an expert in psychology and law and dispute resolution, was consulted.

About 24 minutes in, Robbennolt discusses the history of states passing laws around making apologies, and how it has resulted in a bit of a double-edged sword. 

Listen to the full episode.