Listen

Regret is something we’d all prefer to avoid. Regrettably, we can’t.

Bestselling author Daniel Pink has studied regret extensively. On this episode of Watching America, he speaks with host Dr. Alan Campbell about his research, the value of regret, and experiences that inspire different types of regret. Here’s a snippet from the conversation about thousands of regrets Pink collected in a database:

One regret, particularly among American college graduates—a surprising number of them regretted not studying abroad. They had an opportunity to study abroad; they didn't take it. That's an education regret. Then I have lots of regrets about people not asking somebody out on a date, someone they were interested in. They wanted to ask that person out. They didn't do it. And literally ten, twenty, even thirty years later, they regret it. That's a romance regret. Then I have lots of people who regret not starting businesses, who stayed in lackluster jobs and said, Aghh, if only I'd started a business, that's what I wanted to do. But I was too timid and chicken to do that. Now, that's a career regret. So, those are all in different domains of life, but … they're the same regret, those are all the same. Those are the regret of if only I'd taken the chance. You're at a juncture in your life; you can play it safe, or you can take the chance. People don't take the chance. And over and over again, they regret it. And that's what I call a boldness regret.

Click “listen” above to hear the full interview. 

Daniel Pink was host and co-executive producer of “Crowd Control,” a television series about human behavior on the National Geographic channel. He served as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore, and he’s been a contributing editor at Fast Company and Wired. His articles and essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, Slate, and other publications. In addition to The Power of Regret, Pink is also the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing; To Sell is Human; Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us; and A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

• 
•