You make decisions all the time. In your final moments, you might well think back on these decisions – and some you may regret. If you want to make big decisions you won’t regret, it’s important you learn from others who have been there before and ask them about their biggest decisions.
What are life’s biggest decisions?
Researchers recruited 657 Americans aged between 20 and 80 years old to tell them about the ten biggest decisions in their lives so far
- Each decision was classified into one of nine categories and 58 subcategories
- At the end of the survey, respondents ranked the ten decisions from biggest to smallest
Making big life decisions without regrets
The most important decisions in life relate to family and friends. Spend the time getting these decisions right and then don’t let other distractions – particularly those at work – undermine these relationships.
- Seize opportunities. If you have good justifications for a decision now, no matter what happens, you will not regret it later.
What are life’s biggest regrets?
Regret is a negative emotion you feel when reflecting on past decisions and wishing you had done something differently.
- The six most commonly reported regrets involved romance (19.3%), family (16.9%), education (14.0%), career (13.8%), finance, and parenting (9.0%).
- Although lost loves and unfulfilling relationships were the most common regrets, there was an interesting gender difference. For women, regrets about love (romance/family) were more common than regrets about work (career/education).
What causes regret?
Several factors increase the chances you will feel regret
- In the long run inaction – deciding not to pursue something – generates more regret: this is particularly true for males
- Poor decisions produce greater regret when it is harder to justify those decisions in retrospect
- The most enduring regrets in life result from decisions that move you further from the ideal person you want to be
