Brighten Your Day by Keeping Secrets: A study from Columbia University found that keeping positive secrets can actually make you feel more energized. Participants in the study reported that they kept an average of 14 to 15 pieces of good news, with five or six being secrets. Reflecting on their positive secrets made them feel more energized than those who thought about their non-secret good news. The researchers also found that people hold positive secrets for personal enjoyment and to make a surprise more exciting. The revelation of a positive secret is intensely enjoyable and having extra time to imagine the joyful surprise allows for more excitement. The findings were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Meanwhile, across six studies, researchers found that the deepest regrets come from not pursuing our most ambitious dreams. From abandoning hopes of playing a musical instrument to not pursuing a loved one, these deep-rooted regrets relate to a person’s “ideal-self.” It’s the image everyone has in their head of who they are and the type of person they want to be. Other examples from the study included not pursuing a career in acting and letting go of a girl who was an incredible match. These findings come from the New School for Social Research and Cornell University.
