When asked what they regret most in the last six months, people tend to identify actions that didn't meet their expectations. But when asked about what they regret most when they look back on their lives as whole, people tend to identify failures to act. In the short run, we regret a bad educational choice, whereas in the long run, we regret a missed educational opportunity. In the short run, we regret a broken romance, whereas in the long run, we regret a missed romantic opportunity.