> When people say they regret not doing something, they are talking about regretting not everything that came along with doing that thing, not just avoiding the

> When people say they regret not doing something, they are talking about regretting not everything that came along with doing that thing, not just avoiding the emotion of regret later in life. Perhaps I am misunderstanding but isn’t that what regret it? The not having everything (or most things) that come along with having done the thing? > When someone says they regret not quitting smoking 30 years ago or starting to exercise daily, are they just talking about avoiding the emotion of regret in 30 years? I think this is exactly right. They regret not having all the benefits of having made these choices thirty years prior, and so the feeling of regret is the umbrella term for what they are trying to avoid. In short I think you and OP are saying the same thing but you are arguing that the term regret is narrower. I don’t think that’s right.