RegretĀ is theĀ emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision one did make were unfavorable.
Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decision, in regard to action versus inaction, and in regard toĀ self-control at a particular age. TheĀ self-recrimination which comes with regret is thought to spur corrective action and adaptation.
Distinction from remorse, disappointment
Regret differs fromĀ remorse in that people can regret things beyond their control, but remorse indicates a sense of responsibility for the situation.
Agent regretĀ is the idea that a person could be involved in a situation, and regret their involvement even if those actions were innocent, unintentional, or involuntary.Ā For example, if someone decides toĀ die by stepping in front of a moving vehicle, the death is not the fault of the driver, but the driver may still regret that the person died.
Regret is distinct fromĀ disappointment. Both are negative emotional experiences relating to a loss outcome, and both have similar neuronal correlates. However, they differ in regard to feedback about the outcome, comparing the difference between outcomes for the chosen vs. unchosen action; In regret, full feedback occurs and with disappointment partial feedback. They also differ in regard to agency (self in regret versus external in disappointment).
Existential regret
Existential regret has been specifically defined as āa profound desire to go back and change a past experience in which one has failed to choose consciously or has made a choice that did not follow oneās beliefs, values, or growth needsā.
The person experiences a combination of existential anxiety and existential guilt. Existential anxiety stems from confrontation with existential givens, including the finitude of past choices, inability to change the past, and the finitude of freedom in the past. With existential regret, the object of regret is an experience in which one failed to make a conscious, wholehearted choice and instead has made a choice in a moment of bad faith or lack of authentic presence and subjectivity. Oneās sense is of having abandoned and betrayed the self, thereby feeling deep existential guilt. A paralysis of action and choice may follow.