THE MOST COMMON REGRETS AMERICANS WISH THEY COULD’VE DONE DIFFERENTLY

Americans are more likely to regret the things they didn’t do than the things they have done.

That’s according to a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults split evenly by generation which found that only 11% of Americans don’t have regrets. 

Between not speaking up (40%), not visiting family or friends enough (36%) and not pursuing their dreams (35%), those missed opportunities add up. 

In their lifetime, Americans average three missed chances to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip, four lost opportunities to ask their crush out and six instances of not having the perfect comeback in an argument.

On the flip side, the top actions Americans regret doing include spending money or purchasing something (49%), fighting with friends or family (43%) and making an unnecessary comment (36%).

Over the years, Americans also regret an average of five angry text messages and two break-ups. 

In fact, nearly one-third (32%) of baby boomers have a regret that spans three decades and still crosses their minds an average of three times per month. 

While millennials’ oldest regret is only about 11 years old, they average fretting about it almost once per week, more than any other generation.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Mucinex, results revealed that Americans are almost twice as likely to make bad decisions at night (41%) than in the morning (22%).

Moreover, Americans also tend to regret something more at night (43%). Nighttime decisions such as not going to bed at a decent time (47%), eating too many snacks or too much food (36%) and arguing with a loved one (35%) are the most likely to negatively impact Americans the next morning.

For Gen Zers, failing to do their nighttime routine (29%) or forgetting to turn on their alarm (22%) will almost always ensure morning distress.

These poor choices not only cause regret but also put Americans in a bad mood (39%), leave them unable to tackle the day (29%) or even inhibit them from fulfilling the day’s responsibilities (20%).

By Livy Beaner, SWNS /// nypost.com