billswift comments on Open Thread June 2010, Part 2 - Less Wrong

7 Post author: komponisto 07 June 2010 08:37AM

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Comment author: xamdam 07 June 2010 04:35:27PM *  3 points [-]

I was talking to a friend yesterday and he mentioned a psychological study (I am trying to track down the source) that people tend to suffer MORE from failing to pursue certain opportunities than FAILING after pursuing them. So even if you're right about the overestimation of pleasure, it might just be irrelevant.

Comment author: billswift 08 June 2010 02:39:48AM *  2 points [-]

I haven't seen a study, but that is a common belief. A good quote to that effect,

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. - - Sydney Harris

And I vaguely remember seeing another similar quote from Churchill.