Guilt is an introspective emotion resulting from the reflection on the association between the self and one's own wrongs. Because guilt shows the undesirable aspects of the self, people are motivated not to feel guilt. According to traditional theories of guilt, guilt comes from high-level cognitive processes and its intensity depends on the extent to which the fault is attributed to the self. These theories, which are based on standard theories of cognition, emphasize the intellectual and rational aspect of guilt. Embodied theories reject the separation between situational and bodily states and knowledge. Social stimuli can produce somatic states and elicit responses in the self. The visceral and bodily states in the self can generate affective states. According to embodied theories, guilt could also be influenced by bodily and situational states. Our research aimed to understand the influences of bodily and contextual factors on guilt and reducing guilt. One study (N = 65) compared the efficacy of observation of cleansing and the embodied cleaning on reducing guilt. The results showed that the observation of cleaning could make people feel less guilty and lead them to behave less prosocially. But it was less effective than embodied cleansing. Two studies (N = 393) explored the effect of social approval on reducing guilt through the embodiment of the concept of cleanliness. The results showed that social approval was an important factor in embodiment of the concept of cleanliness and it could moderate the effect of the concept of cleanliness on removing guilt. Two studies (N = 141) studied the effect of depletion and restoration of energy on guilt and reducing guilt. The results showed that depletion could reduce guilt feelings and subsequent prosocial behavior and that restoration of energy could restore the ability to feel guilt. In conclusion, guilt is a moral and prosocial emotion which is dependent on bodily and situational factors. Changes in bodily and contextual states can cause people to feel less guilty.
