The American-Ness of Regret

We're socialized to be relentlessly good, he says. We think that this emotion is inherently bad and always brings us down. He thinks Americans have taken a good thing too far by over-indexing on positivity. But we shouldn't have only positive emotions because negative emotions are helpful,. Their instructive fear is a negative emotion. It helps us get out of a burning building. Grief is anegative emotion. And so by ignoring our regrets, by being relentlessly positive, by always looking forward, never looking backward, we are missing opportunities to learn, to grow, to contribute, and even love.