Pathological Regret as a Cognitive Error

Regret is the association of present pain with the expectation of future pain, based on the false association of a past pain with the present pain, but without addressing the present pain directly. Once diagnosed, it becomes fairly straightforward to redirect attention to the present pain, and once the present pain is resolved, the association between past pain and present pain is realised as a false association, and the expectation of future pain can be dealt with rationally according to a theoretical risk management framework.

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Reflecting on how I deal with pain.

I grew up with parents who were quite sensitive, that is to say, pain averse, often dramatically pain averse. So, it is a performance I am quite learned in. However, I also found their whinging to be quite annoying, and their low pain tolerance to be quite wimpy. They tended to interpret pain as a matter of illness, rather than merely as an ambiguous signal of more complex physiology.

( Perhaps I just imagined that they were whingy and wimpy, whereas it has been a projection of my own whingy wimpiness. I don't intend to press the remaining parent to find out. )

One of my favourite gym poster aphorisms has been, "pain is weakness leaving the body". I believe the most pain I have been exposed to as an adult is urethal catherisation. These two ideas don't necessarily fit together.

I remain privileged enough to deal with pain mostly at arm's length. It is physical conditioning that keeps me distracted by pain in the present. That is a rich man's game.