Daniel Pink

Because regrets are often kind of blobby and amorphous, and so when we write about them or talk about them, we take this blob and make it concrete. We turn it into words, and those words help us make sense of it, and those words are less menacing.

And the more we realize that, oh, I'm experiencing something that other people have experienced, the more we kind of defang some of the pain of the regret.

And the more we realize that, oh, I'm experiencing something that other people have experienced, the more we kind of defang some of the pain of the regret.

And the more we realize that, oh, I'm experiencing something that other people have experienced, the more we kind of defang some of the pain of the regret.

I mean, it holds power, I think, in part because we don't know what to do for two reasons. One is that everybody has regrets. It's one of the most common emotions that human beings have. And yet we've been sold such a bill of goods about positivity and being positive all the time that when we feel regret, we think that we're the only one and we're not. It's part of the human wiring.

I mean, it holds power, I think, in part because we don't know what to do for two reasons. One is that everybody has regrets. It's one of the most common emotions that human beings have. And yet we've been sold such a bill of goods about positivity and being positive all the time that when we feel regret, we think that we're the only one and we're not. It's part of the human wiring.

I mean, it holds power, I think, in part because we don't know what to do for two reasons. One is that everybody has regrets. It's one of the most common emotions that human beings have. And yet we've been sold such a bill of goods about positivity and being positive all the time that when we feel regret, we think that we're the only one and we're not. It's part of the human wiring.

It's part of our cognitive machinery. And the reason it exists is that it clarifies what we value and it helps us do better in the future.

It's part of our cognitive machinery. And the reason it exists is that it clarifies what we value and it helps us do better in the future.

It's part of our cognitive machinery. And the reason it exists is that it clarifies what we value and it helps us do better in the future.

Sure thing, yeah. It's pretty remarkable. Around the world... People seem to have the same four regrets. One are what I call foundation regrets. Those are small decisions people make early in their life that accumulate to terrible consequences later. Spend too much and save too little, now I'm broke. Another one, big category, boldness regrets. You're at a juncture in your life.

Sure thing, yeah. It's pretty remarkable. Around the world... People seem to have the same four regrets. One are what I call foundation regrets. Those are small decisions people make early in their life that accumulate to terrible consequences later. Spend too much and save too little, now I'm broke. Another one, big category, boldness regrets. You're at a juncture in your life.

Sure thing, yeah. It's pretty remarkable. Around the world... People seem to have the same four regrets. One are what I call foundation regrets. Those are small decisions people make early in their life that accumulate to terrible consequences later. Spend too much and save too little, now I'm broke. Another one, big category, boldness regrets. You're at a juncture in your life.

You can play it safe or you can take the chance. And what's overwhelming is that people regret not taking the chance much more than they regret not taking the chance than taking the chance. Yeah. And it doesn't matter the domain of life. You have people who regret not traveling. I have hundreds of people in this database who regret not asking somebody out on a date.

You can play it safe or you can take the chance. And what's overwhelming is that people regret not taking the chance much more than they regret not taking the chance than taking the chance. Yeah. And it doesn't matter the domain of life. You have people who regret not traveling. I have hundreds of people in this database who regret not asking somebody out on a date.

You can play it safe or you can take the chance. And what's overwhelming is that people regret not taking the chance much more than they regret not taking the chance than taking the chance. Yeah. And it doesn't matter the domain of life. You have people who regret not traveling. I have hundreds of people in this database who regret not asking somebody out on a date.

And that's what really sticks with people. Oh, boy, that is the thing. Boldness regrets. You didn't take the shot. Moral regrets, which again, a lot of these regrets begin at a juncture of decision making. So moral regrets are you can take the high road. You can take the low road. Yeah. You can do the right thing. You can do the wrong thing.

And that's what really sticks with people. Oh, boy, that is the thing. Boldness regrets. You didn't take the shot. Moral regrets, which again, a lot of these regrets begin at a juncture of decision making. So moral regrets are you can take the high road. You can take the low road. Yeah. You can do the right thing. You can do the wrong thing.

And that's what really sticks with people. Oh, boy, that is the thing. Boldness regrets. You didn't take the shot. Moral regrets, which again, a lot of these regrets begin at a juncture of decision making. So moral regrets are you can take the high road. You can take the low road. Yeah. You can do the right thing. You can do the wrong thing.

And most of us, when we do the wrong thing, when we take the low road, we regret it. Because most of us are good. And most of us want to be good.