Regrets Over the Things Left Undone
“Not studying hard enough.”
“Missing several important opportunities in life.”
“Not spending enough time with family or close friends.”
According to research by Thomas Gilovich, a professor of psychology at Cornell University, these are among the things people regret most when they look back on their lives.
There are two kinds of regret. One is the regret we feel when something we have already done turns out unsatisfactorily. The other is regret over something we never did, even though it could have led to a good outcome. Of the two, the second leaves the deeper regret. People naturally tend to view the experiences they never had in a positive light. As a result, we imagine that if only we had done those things, our lives would be better than they are now. That is why regret over what we left undone often lingers the longest.
Because we are human, we make mistakes and feel regret again and again. However, there is a way to have fewer regrets. Professor Gilovich says:
“If you truly want to live happily, become a person who takes action.”
