Friday, March 5, 2021

Humans and Mice Alike: Similarities with Regret

Regret is defined as an emotional state an individual experiences when they are disappointed with the decision they have made in the past. Regret is experienced among all humans, of all ages, and can occur in many different scenarios. For example, homeowner Stella Guan experienced regret when it came to buying her new home during the pandemic. In the Wall Street Journal article “These people rushed to buy homes during Covid, Now they regret it” by Candance Taylor, Stella states that she currently hates the home she lives in and believes that the housing fever during the pandemic got to her. Millions of Americans just like Stella were affected by the way the pandemic ruled over the housing market. During this time it made sense to move to a new home to get away from the boring lockdown, flee from their usual scene and get away from the rules and regulations of their state. Although this idea sounded appealing at one point, many millions of Americans who participated in this rush are experiencing regret due to the financial strain and unexpected problems that their new home requires. Buying a home is not like buying a new t-shirt at the mall, it requires a big commitment and requires knowledge about the new place you may call home. Most new buyers felt that if they had been more thoughtful and less competitive, that they would have made a better decision financially. Most of these families stated that they dropped their level of sensibility and just went full throttle on their buy to avoid losing the house to another buyer. Here we can see that regret is something that can be big or small and make an impact on someone's life. Many did not understand the losses that may occur and that is why they regret their decision today.


Until recently, it was believed that regret was only found in humans like Stella Guan, however, Brian Sweis and his colleagues have found that regret is found in mice too. In the study “Mice learn to avoid regret” researchers discovered that mice avoid regret by functioning in a way to ensure that they can maximize their total food intake when a factor of time is taken place. Mice are able to maximize their total food intake through cues that were presented. A lower pitch signified a short wait time for food distribution whereas a higher pitch signaled a longer wait time for food distribution. It was also seen by the researchers that mice had preferences on the food that was available in this experiment. By understanding cues, they were able to understand how to increase the amount of food intake, understand if waiting for a preferred food was worth it and at the end gather the most amount of food to avoid hunger. 


Overall just like humans, this research provided evidence that mice know their preferences, learn about their options, and go after the option they think is best in hopes of avoiding regretful events in the future. With this in mind, research on regret with other animals such as mice may help us to better improve our behaviors to avoid regretful events in the future.

Works Cited:


Taylor, Candace. “These People Rushed to Buy Homes During Covid. Now They Regret It.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 11 Feb. 2021, www.wsj.com/articles/these-people-rushed-to-buy-homes-during-covid-now-they-regret-it-11613062856.


Sweis, Brian M., et al. “Mice Learn to Avoid Regret.” PLOS Biology, vol. 16, no. 6, 2018, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005853. 

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