Why Regret Is an Unreliable Emotion and How to Make Better Decisions

How to use other strategies to make informed and confident choices.

Image by creativeart from Freepik

Have you ever regretted a decision that you made in the past? Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had chosen differently? Have you ever used regret as a motivator to take action in the present or the future?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are not alone. Regret is a common and powerful emotion that we all experience at some point in our lives. Regret is the feeling of sadness, disappointment, or remorse that we have when we realize that we made a mistake, missed an opportunity, or failed to achieve a goal.

Regret can also be a useful emotion that can help us learn from our past, improve our present, and shape our future. It can make us reflect on our choices, evaluate our outcomes, and adjust our strategies. Regret can make us appreciate what we have, avoid what we don’t want, and pursue what we do want. It can make us take action, take responsibility, and take control.

Regret can undoubtedly offer valuable lessons, but it also has its limitations. Recently, I’ve come to realize a flaw in the common rationale of avoiding regret.

In simpler terms, regret is an…