Episode 518
Morning 6-Pack - Life Regrets
New poll says the thing Americans regret most is romantic relationships, and a big chunk — 37% — say their top regret is something they never did. I riff on how we obsess over the road not taken while somehow surviving the dumb roads we actually drove. So I throw down a quick Morning 6-Pack of the most common, wonderfully embarrassing regrets we all hoard. I tease a few classics — burning your mouth on a Hot Pocket, telling the Supercuts person to “get creative,” and the eternal horror of stepping on the bathroom scale. I don’t give away the #1 here (no spoilers, you’ll laugh), but I do punch through the poll stats — 22% claim zero regrets, nearly half say their biggest regret can’t be changed, and money regret clocks in at just 7% — which is either blissful ignorance or avoidance of retirement statements.
Takeaways:
- I riff on a poll where 22% say they have no big regrets, either emotionally healthy or spectacularly lacking self-awareness.
- We point out romantic relationships top the regret chart, then career, family, money, education, kids, friendship, and health follow.
- I note 37% said their biggest regret was something they never did — the road not taken haunts way more than dumb mistakes.
- Nearly half admitted their top regret can’t be changed now, and yeah, that’s the cruelest kind of regret to carry.
- Money regret only hit 7%, friendships and health clocked 4% each — so bad knees and bad friends apparently tie.
- I run a speedy Morning 6-Pack of common regrets — think scorching a hot pocket, Facebook politics blowups, and questionable haircut requests.
- Regret, I joke, is your brain opening a closed browser tab and insisting you think about it again for no reason.
Transcript
It's haystack.
Speaker A:And there's a new poll that asked Americans about their biggest regret in life.
Speaker A:And the number one regret, at least the answer kind of encouraging if I'm being honest.
Speaker A:22% Said they do not have any big regrets, which is either emotionally healthy or spectacularly lacking in self awareness.
Speaker A:For the rest of us, the biggest regret category, romantic relationships.
Speaker A:Well, of course, of course it was.
Speaker A:Nothing leaves a longer emotional paper trail than somebody you should not have dated.
Speaker A:Next, when it comes to regret categories were career and then family, money, education, kids, friendship, and health.
Speaker A:That's basically life's greatest hits, isn't it?
Speaker A:The more interesting question was this.
Speaker A:Do you regret something you did or something you did not do and did not do?
Speaker A:Won by a lot.
Speaker A:By a landslide.
Speaker A:Over a third, 37% said their biggest regret was something they never did.
Speaker A:Which makes sense.
Speaker A:We torture ourselves way more over the road not taken than the dumb road we actually drove down.
Speaker A:That bad day you survived it.
Speaker A:The job you never applied for.
Speaker A:Well, that one may live in your head forever.
Speaker A:And nearly half of us said our biggest regret cannot be changed now.
Speaker A:And that is the cruelest part.
Speaker A:Regret is basically your brain opening a closed browser tab and saying you want to think about this again for no reason.
Speaker A:Your brain is weirdly forgiving about mistakes and absolutely ruthless about opportunities.
Speaker A:Money regret was only 7%.
Speaker A:So I think that means some people still have not looked at their retirement accounts.
Speaker A:Friendships and health Both clocked in at 4%.
Speaker A:So bad knees and bad friends have equal staying power.
Speaker A:I bet.
Speaker A:I bet a lot of us have have stockpiled at least a dozen or so regrets just this week, most of which could be found on my list of the top six most common regrets.
Speaker A:Best way to start today, these six Jo.
Speaker A:My list of the top six most common regrets.
Speaker A:Number six, not giving the hot pocket enough time to cool.
Speaker A:Five, asking our spouse how their work day went.
Speaker A:Number four, blowing an entire evening arguing over politics on Facebook.
Speaker A:Three, Telling the girl at Supercuts to get creative.
Speaker A:Uh oh.
Speaker A:Number two, stepping on the bathroom scale.
Speaker A:And the number one most common regret, not betting your mortgage on a certain local college football team to not cover the spread again.
