Fear versus regret

The concept of regret is an interesting one. Most thoughts around regret simply say “avoid it”. Do the thing now so you don’t regret it later. For example, in Seth Godin’s book “Linchpin” he says:

“There’s a popular brand of clothing with a huge slogan plastered on it: NO FEAR. I think this motto is either disingenuous or stupid. Of course you should have fear. Riding a bike without a helmet may be fearless, but it’s not smart. Lava surfing might be fearless, but it’s not smart. Swallowing fire without training might be fearless as well, but we can all agree it’s not smart either. So what’s smart? Living life without regret.”

So he’s saying that fear can be wise, but regret is problematic.

On the other side you have Daniel Pink’s popular book “The Power of Regret“, where he shares the benefits that regret can bring to your life. Specifically, he says:

Regret is not dangerous or abnormal, a deviation from the steady path to happiness. It is healthy and universal, an integral part of being human. Regret is also valuable. It clarifies. It instructs. Done right, it needn’t drag us down; it can lift us up.

The purpose of this book is to reclaim regret as an indispensable emotion — and to show you how to use its many strengths to make better decisions, perform better at work and school, and bring greater meaning to your life.

So which is it? Is regret a good thing or a bad thing?