THE EXPERIENCE OF REGRET AND DISAPPOINTMENT

Regret and disappointment have in common the fact that they are experi enced when the outcome of a decision is unfavourable: They both concer n ''what might have been'', had things been different. However, some r egret and disappointment theorists regard the differences between thes e emotions as important, arguing that they differ with respect to the conditions under which they are felt, and how they affect decision mak ing. The goal of the present research was to examine whether and how t hese emotions also differ with respect to the way in which they are ex perienced. Participants were asked to recall an instance of intense re gret or disappointment and to indicate what they felt, thought, felt l ike doing, did, and were motivated to do during this experience (cf. R oseman, Wiest, & Swartz, 1994). Significant differences between regret and disappointment were found in every category. These differences we re most pronounced for ''action tendencies'' (what participants felt l ike doing) and ''emotivations'' (what they were motivated to do). Thes e results suggest that the two emotions have differential implications for future behaviour.