We apologize. A lot. It makes us imply that we are distressed or regretful. Sometimes we do it over and over, to no avail. We sugarcoat it at points, or we don't really mean it at all. While saying sorry doesn't help out all the time, it at least helps ease the pain and avoid potential mishaps. It can be a defense mechanism or plain politeness in a given situation. I apologize quite frequently, because I'm quite shy and self-conscious, and I want to make sure I don't cause problems for others with my mistakes.

How often do you apologize? Is it usually meaningful or not? Thanks for listening, chums.

I apologize a lot, probably a lot more than I should. I say sorry several times a day, and when I go back and think about it, most of the time, it's for something trivial. I get guilty really easily and feel bad for a lot of things. I feel the need to apologize for any little mistake that I may make. I've been trying to change this and apologizing less frequently for minor things, but I still try to be polite and stuff. 

I don't think I have ever gone a day without apologizing to someone at least once. For me, apologizing is kind of a habit in which I say sorry for any of the little things, mainly because I feel bad about it. Sometimes my apologies are meaningful when I do something horrible that I regret and other times they are not meaningful and just for politeness for the small things. For example if I were late to something, I would say sorry so I can let them know I really tried to get there on time and didn't just not care about that event. Those are my experiences.

I say sorry pretty often.

Like, for small thing and big things. When I step on someone's shoe or I'm late for something I apologize. It's basically just be being polite. For big things, however, sometimes I don't apologize for a while <.<. Like, I guess I get too prideful to apologize. I do apologize eventually though, and things usually get to normal.

I apologize because it's no big deal to apologize. I then try to understand what I did, said, or didn't say or didn't do that upset that other person. Now I make the adjustment and alter my behavior for the better if it is obvious I made a serious mistake around that person. Usually people help me develop myself for the better in social situations, conversation, and more. I'm empathetic enough to understand people's reactions well before anything I say or do is a problem. I understand how people think so I can adapt to their expectations and comfort zones with them asking.

Saying that, apologizing is the easiest thing in the world.

Most of the time for me. Even though when I overdid it. You should had seen me how it was in the past...it was way...to much. But I still do say sorry but not to the extent that it was before. Its always good to say sorry for what you have done wrong. Or a fuel in the fire with someone you had a fight with will continue to well not be sorted out. And among other things as well. If you don't say sorry for something you know that your in the wrong for that will just make you to look silly. Most people or some can be stubborn about it. But if they really want to amend something they will apologize to you. As you would do the same as well. And I know everyone knows this. Its not always easy to say sorry especially if you are s stubborn person who won't admit the wrong.

I say sorry a lot for trivial things but probably not nearly enough for things that matter.

However, I've learned after being married for 10+ years that one of the easiest ways out of a bad situation is to apologize (as long as I know what I've done wrong). Quite often it's just because I was a jerk .

Still, saying you're sorry is really quite easy to do and has a pretty good track record of making people feel better about a situation.

I say sorry for just about anything except things that I'm making a point that I'm NOT sorry. If I bump or nudge someone, if I cut someone off at the store, is I'm moving out of the way to let them pass... etc. I even sometimes apologize to inanimate objects for rubbing against them out of habit. Gotten a couple funny looks out of people because of it.

I say it a lot, especially when it's something that involves my friends. I remember there was a time when my friends dad drove me home, and I was afraid that it was a hassle for them so I said sorry like a dozen times. There's a chance I might say it a bit too much though, but I rarely say it if it involves someone I don't know too well.

Reading some of the replies here, I would have to agree that I too say sorry a lot, either as a knee-jerk reaction to something (even if it's not my fault), but also to any kind of altercation that takes place between me and another. Even if the other person does something that makes me very upset, to the point where I storm off or don't talk to them for a while, it'll almost always be myself who apologizes, just to try and repair any potential damage caused to the relationship

I apologize pretty often, both online and off. When I say it when being chewed out, I mean it. And usually I try not to get on anybody's bad side, and with some great shyness combined with manners, I end up apologizing for a lot of things.

I work in customer service, so "I'm sorry" is just part of my daily vocabulary. As a result of this, I find that I say it out of habit and truth be told, the phrase itself has decreased in meaning to me.

Now, if I'm apologizing, I try to reword it. or at least, express something more than just "I'm sorry".

I don't say so much sorry. I say it when I have to of course, but not for no apparent reason. I'm much more good to say ouch for no apparent reasons. Even if it don't hurts me I throw out a ouch just for good measures

As a Canadian, a lot of people see the stereotype of us as being very apologetic. I happen fit in that group of people that apologize a lot regardless if it included me or not. If I drop something that belongs to someone, I say sorry. If someone messes up, I say sorry. I'll always say sorry regardless.

I rarely apologize. I only apologize when I know I have done something wrong, I won't apologize just to be nice or to end an argument. If it's not my fault, I'm not saying sorry.

I'm sorry, what was the question? Oh right, how often do I say sorry...sorry about that.

Yeah I say sorry quite often, especially if you count things like "I'm sorry, what did you say? I didn't hear you" because my mom is so soft spoken like myself.

However if you mean strictly as an apology (and your opening post makes it seem so) then I still say it often, even when I'm not at fault. Why? Because people are important, more important than anything else in life in fact (God excluded of course) and it's just plain silly to hurt them or waste time waiting for them to apologize when both of you are suffering in a way when you could just as easily say a few words and mend it all. Also I don't tend to grudge, so I don't really care if people apologize to me or not, I just want relationships to be whole, and my pride is something entirely unimportant in that aspect.

All the time, really. Just find that it's easier that way.

I only apologize if I genuinely think I've hurt someone's feelings or believe I'm in the wrong. Well, I do it all the time now because a certain someone I spend a lot of time with doesn't exactly enjoy my sense of humor all that much lol. It's not like I'm reluctant to say it or anything, I just don't think I should have to unless actual damage was done, ya know?

I say sorry a lot, mostly because it's my fault so I have to say sorry.

Simple as that.

I used to say sorry for everything, then my dad yelled at me for saying sorry. So screw him, I'm not saying sorry unless it's for something that I deem important.

So if I hurt someone's feelings and I don't care, I'm not gonna say sorry. I have better things to do than to apologize for their character faults.