Regret
[1] Regret has been defined by psychologists in the late 1990s as a "negative emotion predicated on an upward, self-focused, counterfactual inference".
[1] Another definition is "an aversive emotional state elicited by a discrepancy in the outcome values of chosen vs. unchosen actions".
[7] Existential regret has been specifically defined as "a profound desire to go back and change a past experience in which one has failed to choose consciously or has made a choice that did not follow one’s beliefs, values, or growth needs".
In 2020, a study published by three people in the Department of Psychology at King's College London researched loss aversion and how it might affect making decisions.
With the rise of community colleges and student aid programs in recent decades, education of some sort is accessible to nearly all socioeconomic groups."
People´s biggest regrets are a reflection of where in life they see their largest opportunities; that is, where they see tangible prospects for change, growth, and renewal.
[13] A 2016 review of past studies found risk factors for people to develop "decision regret" regarding their health care were: higher decisional conflict, lower satisfaction with the decision, adverse outcomes in physical health, and greater anxiety levels.
[14] A 2018 study found that people were more likely to express "ideal-related regrets", such as failing to follow their dreams and live up to their full potential.
[15][16] This was found to correlate with the anecdotal accounts of palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware about the most common regrets she had heard expressed by those nearing death, which included: There is an interplay between action versus inaction and time.
[19] People's biggest regrets occur where they perceive the greatest and most important opportunity for corrective action.
[1] When no opportunity exists to improve conditions, thought processes mitigate the cognitive dissonance caused by regret, e.g. by rationalization, and reconstrual.
[1] Regret pushes people toward revised decision making and corrective action as part of learning that may bring improvement in life circumstances.
Low closure is associated with "reductions in self-esteem and persistent negative affect over time" and with the realization and regret of lost opportunity.
[24] Regret lingers where opportunity existed, with the self-blame of remorse being a core element to ultimately spur corrective action in decision-making.
[28] A study published in 2014 by neuroscientists based at the University of Minnesota suggested that rats are capable of feeling regret about their actions.
[29] In 2013, a study published by two people in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University analyzed the relationship between decisions and outcomes with emotional reactions in the actions of primates such as chimpanzees and bonobos.
This has led the researchers to believe that some primates, including bonobos and chimpanzees, are more susceptible to feelings of regret that can cause them to alter their display in certain behaviors.
