Even though regret is painful, it is a necessary component of human experience and personal development. That's why US researchers at Northwestern University conducted a study that ranked the top 10 regrets by a panel of 370 people. The researchers selected participants according to different criteria such as identity, age and social background to cover all social classes and age groups. Discover their results!
The 10 most frequent regrets
1 - Love and relationship breakup
Love and rupture are among the most frequent regrets with a result of 18.1%.
Indeed, love is one of the components of life paradoxically offering joy and intense disappointment. A one-way love, an unhealthy relationship or a chaotic break have consequences, sometimes devastating, on the people who suffer them. Love feelings are unfortunately unmanageable, which is why we call this the "disease of love".
2 - Family
With a result of 15.9%, a large number of people regret certain aspects related to the family domain.
This is due to various family conflicts, secret family histories and many other things that come from the family circle. But because we do not choose our family, some people sometimes cut ties, which turns out to be traumatic for the evolution of personal development.
3 - Education
Education is recognized as a regret for 13.1% of participants. In fact, according to our social environment, the values our parents inculcate in us and the education our friends and family receive, we come to the conclusion that our education does not correspond to us or that we would have liked a better education. We regret not having been able to access this or that school as well as not to have received and had examples of satisfactory life, which joins and engenders family conflicts.
4 - The career
Not less than 12.2% of participants regret their professional career.
Whether in relation to the field of study chosen at the base, the sacrifices related to the personal life or the incompatibility with the professional circle, the disappointments in the field of the career are frequent. We understand why the professional sector is one of the most common regrets!
5 - Finances
9.9% of study participants have regrets about their finances. In the light of economic crises in parallel with regular price rises and unemployment, the purchasing power of families rarely meets their expectations. In the same way the management that we do of our money generates annoyances and a state of stress and permanent anxiety until a return of money, sometimes unstable.
6 - Parenthood
Parenting is a regret for 9% of participants. Indeed, a pregnancy at a young age, an unwanted pregnancy, a lack of preparation for parenting or a social environment that does not provide for the needs of her children lead to regrets and remorse.
7 - Health
The 7th most common regret among the participants, with a result of 6.3% is the field of health.
Poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol, drugs and all the consequences that affect health lead to regret for not taking care of one's health.
8 - Miscellaneous
5.6% of participants regret various things more or less futile, such as the purchase of a garment that does not suit their morphology, being always late, not having dared to approach a person they liked etc ...
9 - Friends
Friendly relations are regrettable for 3.6% of participants. Indeed, it happens to regret having trusted friends who betray us or who are toxic. Likewise, we may feel regret over the distance or loss of a close friend.
10 - Spirituality
The study participants are 2.3% to regret a lack of spirituality in their lives. Some people fail to focus on the spiritual aspect and try a spiritual awakening, they miss a personal development and regret later not having been able to meet their inner self.
However, to fully flourish in life, we must ignore these regrets and remain optimistic because the future still holds many surprises. As Victoria Holt said: "Never have regrets. If it's good, it's wonderful. Otherwise, it's an experience. "