The elements of regret: Where the head and heart collide

Decision scientists in psychology define regret as a negative emotion that results from the belief that things could have been better if one had behaved differently in the past. That is, regret involves both cognitions, thoughts about how a decision could have turned out differently, and affect, negative feelings about the decision and its outcome.

However, in research, these two dimensions of regret are usually lumped together. Most of the time researchers ask participants one or two straightforward questions….

Source: The elements of regret: Where the head and heart collide – It’s Your Choice