August 6: Regret

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds that ‘regret over indulgence and gluttony diminishes with time, but regret over missing out - doing the responsible thing and deferring gratification - only increases ... This conclusion contradicts the traditional assumption that short-term thinking leads to long-term regret ... it suggests that longer-term thinking is worst in the long term - that it will minimize your guilt in the here-and-now, but over the long haul will lead to chronic, throbbing remorse.’