What is Anticipated regret?
Anticipated regret is the expected feeling of regret that a person imagines they would experience if they failed to act or made a poor choice. Prompting people to consider how they would feel if they did not perform a behavior can motivate action by making the emotional consequences of inaction vivid.
How it works
The technique leverages prospective emotions rather than current feelings. Abraham and Sheeran (2004) showed that asking people ‘How would you feel if you didn’t exercise this week?’ significantly increased exercise intentions and behavior. Anticipated regret works because humans are motivated to avoid future negative emotions, especially when those emotions are made concrete and personally relevant.
Applied example
A vaccination campaign that asks parents ‘How would you feel if your child got sick and you hadn’t gotten them vaccinated?’ activates anticipated regret more powerfully than simply listing disease statistics, because the emotional simulation is personal and vivid.
Why it matters
Anticipated regret is effective because it transforms abstract future consequences into emotionally felt present motivators, bridging the gap between knowing what is right and actually doing it.
