There are some people who have no problem saying that they’re sorry. There are some people who rarely, or flat-out refuse, to say they’re sorry. And then there are people who apologize at the drop of a hat and profusely without truly being sorry. The latter group could include an airline gate agent who has to appear remorseful when your luggage is lost even though they couldn’t care less.

Did a coworker take credit for a task you did? Did your neighbor borrow an item and break it? Did your son or daughter do something that you specifically forbade them to do? These are the people we expect to own up to their mistakes.

So what types of people are willing to swallow their pride and truly make an honest apology? An article onThe Huffington Post titled, Some Personalities Are More Likely to Apologize than Others, references a study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences that used the HEXACO model of personality (honesty/humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness). In that study, researchers noted that people who scored high in conscientiousness, honesty, and humility were also more likely to say they apologized more frequently. Consequently, and surprising to the researchers, agreeable people were less likely to offer quick apologies.

Take this into consideration during your everyday interactions and learn to recognize someone who is genuinely sincere in his or her apology. Likewise, if you’re the one that’s responsible, then accept your mistake, apologize, and move on.