Time may heal wounds: Aging and life regrets
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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Murine Model of Wound Healing
Published on: May 28, 2013
Dan Tassone1, Andrew E Reed1, Laura L Carstensen1
1Department of Psychology, Stanford University.
Abstract:
Psychological research on regret has focused mostly on the negative emotions associated with troubling past decisions. Because aging is associated with a preference for positive information in attention and memory, investigation into positive emotions elicited by regrets may provide insights into adult developmental changes in subjective experience. The present study investigated age differences in regret-related affect in a survey of adults (n = 629) aged 18-92 years. Positive and negative affect emerged as discrete dimensions of regret-related affect with age trajectories that benefit well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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