Researchers Collected 15,000 Regrets From Around the World. Their №1 Lesson Is Just 3 Words Long
Many people try to live by a “no regrets” motto, pushing aside thoughts of past mistakes and focusing relentlessly on the future. Author Dan Pink’s motto is exactly the opposite: Please give me as many regrets as possible.
The author of several best-selling books, Pink’s latest, The Power of Regret, is about how focusing on regrets can actually be useful, if not particularly pleasant. As he explained in a recent interview with Behavioral Scientist, in preparation for the project he and his team put out a call on social media and via their newsletter for people to share their most painful regrets.
The response was overwhelming. An avalanche of some 15,000 regrets from more than 100 countries poured in. Today the trove of missed opportunities and bad decisions is up to 23,000 entries. Pink then combed through this vast depository of regrets looking for patterns that could help us all live more fulfilled, less haunted lives. According to the interview, his biggest takeaway was just three words long.
“Always reach out.”
Pink isn’t the first researcher to try this exercise. A variety of professors and intrigued lay people have collected and collated common regrets over the years. The results of…
