The Power of Regret

How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward

By: Daniel H. Pink

Narrated by: Daniel H. Pink, Gisela Chípe, Edward Hong, Hillary Huber, Sarah Palmero, Alejandro Ruiz, Fred Sanders, Neil Shah, Jade Wheeler, Nancy Wu

“The world needs this book.” — New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown

An instant New York Times bestseller

Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR and Financial Times

From the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of When and Drive, a new book about the transforming power of our most misunderstood yet potentially most valuable emotion: regret.

Everybody has regrets, Daniel H. Pink explains in The Power of Regret. They’re a universal and healthy part of being human. And understanding how regret works can help us make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and bring greater meaning to our lives.

Drawing on research in social psychology, neuroscience, and biology, Pink debunks the myth of the “no regrets” philosophy of life. And using the largest sampling of American attitudes about regret ever conducted as well as his own World Regret Survey—which has collected regrets from more than 15,000 people in 105 countries—he lays out the four core regrets that each of us has. These deep regrets offer compelling insights into how we live and how we can find a better path forward.

As he did in his bestsellers Drive, When, and A Whole New Mind, Pink lays out a dynamic new way of thinking about regret and frames his ideas in ways that are clear, accessible, and pragmatic. Packed with true stories of people's regrets as well as practical takeaways for reimagining regret as a positive force, The Power of Regret shows how we can live richer, more engaged lives.

Highly recommended

Gave me a good perspective about how regrets can be leveraged as a positive thing. We all make countless small and big mistakes in life and being armed with Pink’s mental framework will improve future behaviors.

Life changing!

Life changing! Challenges what I always believed! Mr Pink clearly makes his case with examples

Well reasoned and thoughtful

My favorite by Daniel Pink so far and by far. I found the audiobook very easy to follow and highly enjoyable.

You would regret NOT reading this

This book supports the notion that introspection can be a game changer when lessons are applied to support better decision making. I really appreciate the anecdotes that reinforce how common of an emotion regrets can be as well as how much agency we have over how we learn from regret.

Great exploration of this ubiquitous emotion

I liked the exploration and ultimate categorization of regret based on research and a longitudinal survey. I have a tangible path forward when it comes to this backwards-looking phenomenon.