The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel H. Pink was published in 2022. It challenges the popular mantra “No regrets” that has dominated Western culture. The book claims that toxic positivity can stymie personal growth and one’s potential to achieve a better life. It is, in essence, an antithesis to popular self-help books that champion blind positivity over conscious consideration of regrets. Pink argues that by embracing the feeling of regret, we are less likely to repeat the same mistakes and are, therefore, more likely to make better decisions going forward. He encourages readers to leverage regrets to cultivate a better, more fulfilling life. The book is organized into three parts— “Regret Reclaimed,” “Regret Revealed,” and “Regret Remade.”

Summary

In Part 1, “Regret Reclaimed,” Daniel H. Pink highlights “the life-thwarting nonsense” of the popular adage “No regrets” and explains why regret makes us human. In fact, the inability to experience regret is a sign of a serious health deficiency. Pink then explains humans’ tendency to engage in counterfactual thinking, that is, creating hypothetical narratives about what could have been had one behaved differently in a certain situation.