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Cover of The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel H. PinkThe Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward
New · Nonfiction, Psychology, Business

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward

by Daniel H. Pink
2022 · 256 pages · Nonfiction
Reserve shelf
≈ 6 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Daniel Pink argues that 'no regrets' is nonsense: regret is a normal, even valuable emotion. Drawing on research in psychology and a large survey of regrets from people around the world, he describes the four main kinds of regret and how to use them to make better decisions and live more meaningfully.

Why it's worth reading

It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a clear, useful book of popular psychology.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's self-help.

By the numbers

54.8Must-Read Score
  • Readers11 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller35 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Goodreads Choice (nonfiction) finalist (2022)

Reads as

Practical, Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward worth reading?

It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 54.8 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward about?

Daniel Pink argues that 'no regrets' is nonsense: regret is a normal, even valuable emotion. Drawing on research in psychology and a large survey of regrets from people around the world, he describes the four main kinds of regret and how to use them to make better decisions and live more meaningfully.

How long does it take to read The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward?

About 6 hours (256 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward?

If you liked it, try Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant, The Good Life by Robert Waldinger or Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross.