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Bored Panda

Entertainment

Justinas Keturka

47 Photos That Show The Exact Second Regret Kicked In

Memory

Life is full of regrets. Some are small—like spilling coffee on a nice shirt—and some are just spectacularly, irreversibly terrible. And a lot of the time, they’re also unavoidable, when all you can do is step back, accept what happened, and try to move on without letting it take over your mind.

So, to reassure you that you’re not alone in these “wish I hadn’t” experiences, we put together a gallery of moments people would love to erase from their memory. Whether earned or purely accidental, yikes!

#1 I Love It When We Rise Up Together To Destroy The Patriarchy ✊

#2 Lifeboy

Interestingly, from a quantitative perspective, you could make the case that people are more likely to regret the things they didn’t do than the things they have done.

For example, according to a survey of 2,000 adults in the United States, the regrets people beat themselves up about the most include “not speaking up” (40%), “not visiting family or friends enough” (36%), and “not pursuing their dreams” (35%).

#3 Tells The Potential Employee To Find Another Job If They Don’t Like His Terms. Is Shocked When She Agrees To Do Just That

#4 The Moment This Jogger Realized He Stumbled Into My Friends’ Engagement Photo

#5 My Indoor Cat’s First Time Experiencing Heights & He Instantly Regretted It 😂

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%).

#6 “Plumber Returns To Re-Clog Pipe After Restaurant Refuses To Pay Bill”

#7 Justin’s Appointment

#8 Self Burn

#9 Forever Alone

In total, Americans also regret sending an average of five angry text messages and going through two breakups.

In fact, almost 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.

Millennials’ oldest regret is only about 11 years old, and they report fretting about it almost once per week—more than any other generation.

#10 He Had No Idea What To Expect

#11 This Picture Was Taken The Moment Before I Fell Into The Splits, Thinking That I Could Ride These Like Rollerblades

#12 This Man Drove 1,000+ Miles To Hoard And Scalp Supplies, But Now He Can't Find Buyers. Boo-Hoo

#13 Layoff Skilled Workers Hurts Company?

The survey also revealed that Americans are almost twice as likely to make bad decisions at night (41%) as they are in the morning (22%).

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 bother them the next morning.

For Gen Zers, however, the most common regrets are “failing to do their nighttime routine” (29%) and “forgetting to turn on their alarm” (22%).

#14 They Didn't See That Coming

#15 They Took The Dog Swimming For The First Time

#16 Don’t Worry, He’s Fine

#17 Mistakes Were Made

The good thing is that almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents believe that their decision-making has gotten better as they’ve gotten older. And that is one of its benefits—teaching.

“Regret informs us of a failure to live up to our ideals, over and above the mistakes we have made,” said clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Mary Lamia. “Despite how uncomfortable regrets and unfinished business may feel, they represent internal feedback about our past behavior. The cognitive process, known as counterfactual thinking, has to do with our assessment of an outcome compared to what would have been gained or lost had we made a different decision.

“We mentally simulate other outcomes of past events by considering hypothetical alternatives. Thus, regret may represent an important aspect of our capacity to review our decisions or to assess our behaviors retrospectively. Alternatively, it may exemplify our inclination to pursue counterfactual information for its own sake. Although looking back may not always influence future behavior, it can be a learning experience.”

#18 Oh Boy

#19 This Is Coco. He Was Banned From Three Groomers For Aggression. He Is Now Under House Arrest (I Have To Shave Him Myself)

#20 Instant Regret

#21 Instant Regret

The key is to review the past without ruminating about the negatives too much because, at a certain point, it can become a dangerous self-enforcing loop. “The more times we run down the same path filled with negative emotion, the more familiar, available, and accessible it may become,” Lamia added.

“Emotions make us care in both positive and negative ways; we care when we are interested or excited and when we are guilty or ashamed. Regret is not indifferent. Thus, our regrets may preserve an emotional attachment to someone or something we have cherished and lost, or to someone or something that we should have avoided in the first place.”

#22 Making A Frog Friend

#23 Missing Your Husband's Singing For Months Because You Can't Say Sorry

#24 Posing On A Flaming Chair For A Cool Photo

#25 My Friend's Dog Decided To Join The Fun Of A Slip And Slide, Instant Regret

#26 I Was 13 And We Decided To See Who Could Jump The Farthest Off The Swing. This Was The Moment Before I Hit A Pole At The Playground

#27 “Don’t Look At The Sun!” proceeds To Look At The Sun

#28 Can I Pet Him? -Sure, He’s Friendly-(Doggo Starts Growling Mid Picture)

#29 Single Dad Wanting To Absolutely Nail It For Christmas This Year, So I Saved Up And Bought My 3yo Daughter The Largest Dollhouse I Could Find. I See Now That I Definitely Veered Out Of My Lane When I Made This Decision. Pray For Me Please LOL

#30 Trying To Take A Picture Posing With The Birds

#31 When You Finish Work At 5 But You’re Storming The Capitol Building At 6

#32 You're Not A Teenager. You're 24

Context for people out of the loop: this is Johnny Somali, a streamer who's known for his repeated disrespectful behaviours in multiple countries. His behaviour includes yelling Hiroshima Nagasaki on Japanese public trains, harassing high school girls, sexually harassing a female police officer in Israel, lap dancing on a WW2 comfort woman statue in South Korea, and many many more. He was previously kicked out of Japan and Israel for his misdemeanors. He was also banned from Kick and Twitch and now streams on Rumble. He's currently arrested in South Korea for possession [of illegal substances] and is facing jail time and is also literally being hunted down by Koreans. He also offered a similar apology to Japan before, only to immediately start insulting the country as soon as he's out of the country.