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The Power of Regret  By  cover art

The Power of Regret

By: Daniel H. Pink
Narrated by: Daniel H. Pink,Gisela Chipe,Edward Hong,Hillary Huber,Sarah Palmero,Alejandro Ruiz,Fred Sanders,Neil Shah,Jade Wheeler,Nancy Wu
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Publisher's summary

“The world needs this book.” —Brené Brown, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of Dare to Lead and Atlas of the Heart

An instant New York Times bestseller

As featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post

Named a Best Book of 2022 by NPR and Financial Times

From the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of When and Drive, a new book about the transforming power of our most misunderstood yet potentially most valuable emotion: regret.

Everybody has regrets, Daniel H. Pink explains in The Power of Regret. They’re a universal and healthy part of being human. And understanding how regret works can help us make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and bring greater meaning to our lives.

Drawing on research in social psychology, neuroscience, and biology, Pink debunks the myth of the “no regrets” philosophy of life. And using the largest sampling of American attitudes about regret ever conducted as well as his own World Regret Survey—which has collected regrets from more than 15,000 people in 105 countries—he lays out the four core regrets that each of us has. These deep regrets offer compelling insights into how we live and how we can find a better path forward.

As he did in his bestsellers Drive, When, and A Whole New Mind, Pink lays out a dynamic new way of thinking about regret and frames his ideas in ways that are clear, accessible, and pragmatic. Packed with true stories of people's regrets as well as practical takeaways for reimagining regret as a positive force, The Power of Regret shows how we can live richer, more engaged lives.

©2022 Daniel H. Pink (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Daniel Pink reclaims regret as an indispensable emotion and explains how to use it to make better decisions, perform better at work or school and bring greater meaning to your life. His well-known, user-friendly style, chock-full of moving stories, will have you looking at regret as something that doesn’t just make us human, but also makes us better.” —The Wall Street Journal

The Power of Regret dives deep into the research behind the 'most misunderstood' emotion and brings it to life through accessible human storytelling.” —Forbes

“Regret could be overdue for its own rebranding. … [A] look back might be the way to move forward. We might find lessons lurking in moments we’ve pushed from the light. Regret has long been considered a sign of weakness, but what if we saw it as a strength?” —The Washington Post

Featured Article: The Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Well-Being Listens of All Time


We assembled our editors, scoured listener reviews, polled our most-trusted colleagues, and listened our ears off to bring you this list of 100 must-listen well-being titles on Audible. Whether you’re looking to get organized, stay motivated, find creative inspiration, or relieve stress, these audiobooks and podcasts are packed with insights from self-development and wellness experts to help you take the next step—or the first—in your personal journey.

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What listeners say about The Power of Regret

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Powerful, immediately relevant

I'd always thought the feeling of regret was a bad thing, a weakness to be avoided if possible. Yet nobody can help it; we all feel it. There are lots of ways to signal this feeling in conversation too. That's why I wanted to listen this time.

Pink cites studies, especially international studies about regret. People mostly regret not having taken a bold action that would have demonstrated character and courage, the knowing a course of action is right on some important level but not choosing it in favor of playing it safe.

Pink explains our own motivations that never get voiced. He says relationships drift apart because the actors avoid the awkwardness of reaching out, hence a huge bundle of regrets he terms as "connection regrets."

I found this book at times difficult to listen through because it caused me to reflect and feel my regrets which isn't a wonderful feeling. I suppose this process serves to prepare one to be more action-oriented going forward. At least that's the hope.

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9 people found this helpful

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A must read/listen!

brings into perspective how we hold onto regrets we created, yet gives guidance on how to maneuver the regrets and our path forward. Realized I'm just like so many...we're human.

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5 people found this helpful

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Highly recommended

Gave me a good perspective about how regrets can be leveraged as a positive thing. We all make countless small and big mistakes in life and being armed with Pink’s mental framework will improve future behaviors.

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing

Most regrets are the classics. Author's analyses are the things we've heard a million times from a million authors before. Nothing counterintuitive, surprising or groundbreaking to take from this.

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4 people found this helpful

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Oooops he did it again!

If you're D Pink fan you'll love it. Great tips for anxious achievers, reads fast, uses clear tearms and examples to remember the lessons and sound interesting at dinners.

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2 people found this helpful

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Insightful

Embracing the power of regret to drive positive change instead of current Western culture's idea of pretending you don't have regrets is liberating. So is the recognition that everyone has regrets, regardless of whether they admit it. The fact that the foundational regrets are remarkably universal removes stigma and fosters a space for growth and change. The audiobook would have been improved by a PDF with a list/definitions of the types of regrets, citations of recommended resources, and lists of steps for change.

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Skip-able.

Regret is bad for you; it holds you back. Except when it isn’t- if you use it to motivate and propel you forward.

Why it took 14 chapters and 5 and a half hours to say as much, I’m not sure.

Skip the book and go for a walk- you won’t regret it.

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Worthwhile self improvement

Initially I thought the subject of the book, regret, would be boring but as as I listened on I realized how appropriate it was for me. It will adjust my perception of life in a positive way past present and future. I needed this book...perfect timing.

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Useless

I wrote a previous review on this book when I was halfway through it. It was so bad (the book) I couldn’t even finish it. I held my nose and decided to finish the book and submit another review. This is the worst audiobook I have ever listened to, Completely useless, author obviously in love with himself, and the constant examples of regret are annoying. I have nothing good to say about this book and usually I look for at least one good thing. This offers nothing. It was so bad that I don’t even want it on my phone. Don’t waste your money or a credit listening to this piece of garbage.

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very useful

this book really helped me understand and how to frame regret, my regret and human nature about regret in a very useful way. I'll listen again.

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