Regret has always been such a bitter pill to swallow, but according to a study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, regrets about love are usually the most bitter of all.
In the experiment, participants were asked to list their strongest and weakest regrets as well as the circumstances that came with each. Results revealed that regrets involving love and personal relationships tended to affect people the most. They also outnumbered work-related regrets by more than two to one in some categories.
Neal Roese,a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, believes that the reason we tend to feel regrets over personal relationships more intensely than, say, work-related matters is because of our inherent need to belong. “We are fundamentally social creatures and draw a lot of psychological sustenance out of being connected to others. The regrets we are measuring are a reflection of that,” he says.
Whether these results are a good thing or a bad thing don’t really matter, however. Life is too short. At least, for the moment, we should try to live our life with as little regret as possible.
Avoid having regrets! Live your life to the fullest with these tips:
- All About You: 10 Ways to Love Yourself
- Cheer up, Chin Up: 12 Ways to Stay Positive
- 10 Ways to Love Your Body
- 10 Tips on Learning to Live with and Love Yourself from Iza Calzado
- 10 Confidence-Building Tips for a Stronger, Happier You
(Photo by michaeldorokhov via Flickr Creative Commons)
