HEALTH: The Power of Regret: The Verywell Mind Podcast

lunes, 7 de febrero de 2022

The Power of Regret: The Verywell Mind Podcast

The Power of Regret With Bestselling Author Daniel Pink

Amy Morin, LCSW
Verywell Mind Editor-in-Chief

On today's episode, I talk with Daniel Pink, a New York Times bestselling author of fascinating books about business and behavior.

His newest book, "The Power of Regret," discusses how to use regret to move ourselves forward in life. He surveyed more than 15,000 people from around the world and uncovered some interesting facts about regret.

Why Daniel Pink Is Mentally Strong

Daniel Pink studies things for a long time before creating books about a topic. He takes subjects that are misunderstood or complex and makes them easy to understand. He also sheds new light on old ideas.

He isn't afraid to talk about his own vulnerabilities as well. In fact, in this episode he shares some of his regrets as well as how he works on coming to terms with his failures.

Rather than simply point to himself as an expert who never makes mistakes, he shares that the reason he often studies certain topics is because he's struggled with these things as well.

As he mentions on the show, being able to talk about vulnerabilities isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength.

We think when we disclose our vulnerabilities, our mistakes, or our weaknesses, people will like us less. They generally like us more because they admire our courage."

— Daniel Pink

What You'll Hear on the Show

What it really means to regret something
Why you might want to switch answers on a multiple choice test (and how the fear of regret keeps us from doing it)
Why we sometimes don't want to acknowledge that we have regrets
The great lengths we go to in an effort to avoid feeling regret
The four types of regret
The differences between what younger people regret versus older people
The most common types of regrets Daniel uncovered in his research
The strategies that can help us cope with regret
Why so many people regret being mean to others when they were kids and what this says about us
How sharing your regret lessens the burden
How regret can help you move forward in a healthy way
How to learn from regret
The biggest regrets Daniel has in his life
Why Daniel created a list of all his regrets and failures
How to handle the fear of doing something you might regret later

Everybody has regrets. It's part of our cognitive machinery."

— Daniel Pink

What You'll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength

There are plenty of people who think having no regrets is a badge of honor in life. But the truth is, everyone probably regrets something. And that's not a bad thing.

Knowing you can do something you regret and still be OK is a sign of strength. After all, if you lived your life to avoid ever feeling regret, you wouldn't take many risks.

You may need to examine what you're more likely to regret–moving to a new city or always living in the same place? Or, will you regret going after that person you love or never taking the chance?

Although regret feels uncomfortable, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. We can learn a lot from regret if we allow ourselves to experience it.

Just writing about your regret for 15 minutes a day for three days can be really useful because it defangs the regret. It makes it less menacing and it begins the sense-making process."

— Daniel Pink