The dying regret not being emotionally available to their friends and loved ones. Social psychologist Tom Gillivitch and Shy David Ey did a more empirically-based survey of long-term regrets. They studied a very different cohort of people, not the terminally ill, but everyone from college students to residents in an old age home. People's regrets about not living up to the person they ideally wanted to be far outnumbered their regrets about what they ought to do.
Regret sucks. Thinking back on things we should have done, or should never have done, can make us feel bad. But #noregrets isn't a philosophy for a happy and healthy life.
Regrets can be a great guide and can help us live a life that's true to our authentic selves. Illustrator Liz Fosslien learned to listen to her regrets after letting down her mom during a family crisis. While writer Daniel Pink compiled a global database of regrets to help unpick what common regrets tell us about our real values.
For Further Reading:
Daniel Pink - The Power of Regret. How Looking Back Moves Us Forward
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