Regretting

Regretting is the emotional and cognitive experience of recognizing that a past action, decision, or inaction led to an undesirable outcome and imagining that a different choice might have produced a better result. In scholarly contexts, regret is often treated as a form of counterfactual thinking, where people mentally construct alternatives to what actually happened. Regret can stem from actions taken or from things left undone, and it is usually linked to a sense of personal responsibility, though not always to moral fault.

Regret is distinct from remorse; remorse typically involves moral self-judgment and a desire to repair harm. Regret focuses on the outcome and the perceived gap between what occurred and what could have been, frequently accompanied by thoughts like “If only I had...”. Anticipatory regret refers to expected regret about future choices and can influence risk-taking and decision-making before outcomes are known.

The psychological impact of regret is variable. It can motivate learning and better future choices, but excessive rumination can reduce well-being and contribute to mood disorders. Coping strategies include cognitive reframing, problem-solving, apologizing or making amends, and accepting the past while focusing on actionable steps going forward.

In economics and philosophy, regret theory explores how anticipated regret can shape decisions under uncertainty, sometimes affecting choices beyond standard expected utility. Culturally, regret appears as a recurring theme in literature, ethics, and public discourse, reflecting its role in how people evaluate past lives and plan for the future.

Measurement of regret relies on self-report and experience sampling to assess intensity, frequency, and the contexts in which regret arises.