Why do people regret things they never actually did?
Imagined lives can leave real scars.
People may regret paths they never took because imagined futures can feel emotionally real.
The city never visited.
The job never accepted.
The person never called.
The hidden mechanism is imaginary regret.
Humans simulate alternatives constantly.
Possibilities become stories.
Stories become emotions.
People think regret belongs to mistakes.
Very often, it belongs to hesitation.
