Regrets we’ve had a few, well 40 in fact

HAVING one too many drinks the night before, being addicted to TV and marrying the wrong person are among the biggest regrets of Britons.

Health concerns including smoking, drinking and not exercising also make a top 40 list, along with taking life too seriously, a survey says.

The average Briton has as many as seven regrets and they spend around an hour each day thinking about them.

But one in 10 mulls over their bad decisions for up to four hours each day.

The study also found relationship woes are a common regret – one in 10 admitted they had found the wrong person or failed to break off an unhappy relationship sooner.

One in seven wished they had more children and one in 10 regret not having them at all.

Others wish they had said goodbye to someone dying. When it comes to professional choices, not asking for a larger salary, picking the wrong career and working too hard emerged as the top woes.

Achievement

A third say regrets keep them up into the early hours. But 40 per cent felt a sense of achievement in making and maintaining great personal relationships.

A quarter are happy with the professional decisions and felt they had achieved some of their career goals. Not learning a second language, holding grudges and worrying too much are also included in laments. Four in 10 carry a regret and a fifth would have saved more money.

Nigel Birrell of gaming firm Lottoland, which commissioned the OnePoll survey of 2,000 British adults, said it is “important to focus on the achievements and good things we have in our lives”.