That depends on what the alternative was. For those who have been pining after love but did not find any until later 'having loved and lost' might be a desirabl

That depends on what the alternative was. For those who have been pining after love but did not find any until later 'having loved and lost' might be a desirable alternative. For those who've been busy with other things - study, research, discovery, what have you - and never really thought about finding themselves a partner 'having loved and lost' would be a net-negative.