I think there's a little self-selection going on here in that the people being asked are all at least moderately successful - at least enough so to enjoy a whit

I think there's a little self-selection going on here in that the people being asked are all at least moderately successful - at least enough so to enjoy a whitewater rafting trip. I'm willing to bet that if you asked the same question at a local prison or drug treatment center you might come away with different ideas about life decisions and regrets. It's no surprise that someone who has generally had things go well will regret not taking more chances. Further more, "I wish I'd tried harder to be a rock star" is a lot easier to say in a group setting than "I really regret embarrassing mistake X, which took years to repair / recover from".