Failing to act: Regrets of Terman's geniuses

N. Hattiangadi, V. H. Medvec, T. Gilovich*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

The regrets reported by Terman's intellectually gifted subjects were analyzed to determine the nature of their regrets, whether they are the same as those reported by the general population, and whether they stem predominantly from errors of omission or commission. A 1986 survey of these subjects in their advanced years (mean age = 74) asked them to specify what they would do differently if they could live over again. An analysis of their responses indicated that, like the population as a whole, they harbor many more regrets of inaction than regrets of action. The implications of these findings for a proposed temporal pattern to the experience of regret is discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)175-185
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Journal of Aging and Human Development
Volume40
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1995

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geriatrics and Gerontology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Aging

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Failing to act: Regrets of Terman's geniuses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this