Generality and cultural variation in the experience of regret.

Abstract

Regret is the prototypical decision-related emotion. Most theory and research on regret comes from the United States and Europe, but recent research has suggested potential cross-cultural differences in regret. We examined generality and cultural variation in the experience of regret. A cross-cultural study compared experiences of regret with those of disappointment and guilt as reported by participants from the United States (n = 143), the Netherlands (n = 147), Israel (n = 148), and Taiwan (n = 115). We found strong evidence for generality of the distinct emotion components of regret, compared with those of disappointment and guilt. We also found cultural variation in the frequency and intensity of regret in intrapersonal situations (regrets about outcomes affecting the self) and interpersonal regrets (regrets about outcomes affecting others). Whereas in the U.S. sample, regret was experienced more intensely in intrapersonal than interpersonal situations, both emotions were experienced more intensely in interpersonal situations in the Taiwanese sample.

Validation of the German version of two scales (RIS, RCS-HCP) for measuring regret associated with providing healthcare

“…Regret is a frequent emotional experience, which may be defined as a psychological state following an experience where one believes that the outcome would have been better if one had acted differently [6]. Regret develops in situations where healthcare professionals cannot fulfill what they believe to be the optimal care for their patients.…”

Becoming Kinder: Prosocial Choice and the Development of Interpersonal Regret

“…Beginning with (1), studies that have examined judgments regarding the nature of emotions occurring in interpersonal contexts indicate that it is possible to distinguish between guilt and interpersonal regret on the grounds that each of them seems to be associated with a different set of thought patterns and action tendencies (Breugelmans et al., ; Roseman et al., ; Zeelenberg & Breugelmans, ). Specifically, Breugelmans et al.…”

“…We have described our task as measuring interpersonal regret in children rather than guilt. We are aware, though, that there is disagreement in the existing literature over whether interpersonal regret should be distinguished from guilt, and if so, on what basis (Berndsen et al, 2010;Breugelmans, Zeelenberg, Gilovich, Huang, & Shani, 2014;Kedia & Hilton, 2011;Roseman, Wiest, & Swartz, 1994;Zeelenberg & Breugelmans, 2008). Berndsen et al (2010, p. 67) suggest that "guilt is a more appropriate term than regret to describe feelings of emotional distress in situations of interpersonal harm.…”

“…Beginning with (1), studies that have examined judgments regarding the nature of emotions occurring in interpersonal contexts indicate that it is possible to distinguish between guilt and interpersonal regret on the grounds that each of them seems to be associated with a different set of thought patterns and action tendencies (Breugelmans et al, 2014;Roseman et al, 1994;Zeelenberg & Breugelmans, 2008). Specifically, Breugelmans et al show that guilt is associated with the sense of having morally transgressed alongside the action tendency to apologize or seek to be forgiven, whereas interpersonal regret is associated with a sense of feeling responsible for having made a mistake and the action tendency to do things differently in the future (see also Roseman et al, 1994 for very similar findings).…”

The influence of anticipated regret on business start-up behaviour

“…Research also shows that cultural contexts influence characteristics of regret (Breugelmans et al, 2014). Specifically, anticipation of regret can motivate individuals to behave in accord with their cultural norms (Komiya et al, 2011), meaning that regulation strategies could vary across cultures.…”