ABSTRACT
Regret is a highly aversive emotion that people attempt to regulate both before and after making decisions. The present research introduces the Regret Regulation Scale (RRS), a self-report instrument assessing the dispositional tendency to prevent anticipated regret and to manage experienced regret. Across three studies, the scale’s development, reliability, and validity were examined. Exploratory factor analyses identified a six-factor structure for the Regret Anticipation and Prevention subscale and a five-factor structure for the Experienced Regret Regulation subscale, together explaining a substantial portion of variance. Confirmatory factor analyses in an independent sample supported these structures, yielding satisfactory fit indices. The RRS demonstrated good internal consistency, temporal stability over 4 weeks, and appropriate convergent and discriminant validity through correlations with measures of regret, maximization, life satisfaction, cognitive emotion regulation, counterfactual thinking, and affective well-being (depression and trait anxiety). Findings indicate that the RRS is a reliable and valid multidimensional tool to assess strategies individuals use to regulate anticipated and experienced regret. It contributes to a deeper understanding of regret’s role in decision-making and emotional well-being and has potential applications for research and clinical practice aimed at enhancing adaptive regulation strategies.