Dave’s Diary: Romance and Regret – Life’s Lessons

Recent grads are now probably up to their ears in advice about the future. Mom, Dad, grandparents, nosey neighbors and even the creepy guy who said “plastics” all have words of wisdom.  One commonly shared thought is to "live life with no regrets"—which of course is easier said than done.

But knowing where the regrets will come from in advance may help, so we offer to share the following from HealthDay News, which reports that researchers at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign surveyed 370 adults ages 19 to 103 about their life's regrets, specifically things they wished they had done differently.

Pucker up advice seekers, because when Americans think of their biggest regrets, the number one misgiving is romance -- be it the dead-end relationship that continued far too long or the wonderful lover who got away. Each was asked to describe in detail one particular decision they deeply regretted. The top six regrets involved these topics:

1. Romance: 18%
2. Family: 16%
3. Education: 13%
4. Career: 12%
5. Finance: 10%
6. Parenting: 9%

The biggest regret for women: When it comes to relationship regrets about romance or family, women are far more likely to harbor misgivings for their actions -- specifically 44% for women, compared with 19% for men. The biggest regret for men: Men are more likely to have regrets about work or education--specifically 34% for men, compared with 26% for women.