Self-Compassion Promotes Personal Improvement From Regret Experiences via Acceptance

Why do some people report more personal improvement from their regret experiences than others? three studies examined whether self-compassion promotes personal improvement derived from recalled regret experiences. in study 1,we coded anonymous regret descriptions posted on a blog website. people who spontaneously described their regret with greater self-compassion were also judged as having expressed more personal improvement. in study 2,higher trait self-compassion predicted greater self-reported and observer-rated personal improvement derived from recalled regret experiences. in study 3,people induced to take a self-compassionate perspective toward a recalled regret experience reported greater acceptance,forgiveness,and personal improvement. a multiple mediation analysis comparing acceptance and forgiveness showed self-compassion led to greater personal improvement,in part,through heightened acceptance. furthermore,self-compassion’s effects on personal improvement were distinct from self-esteem and were not explained by adaptive emotional responses. overall,the results suggest that self-compassion spurs positive adjustment in the face of regrets. © 2015,by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.