Choices that make others sad or happy: Children’s interpersonal regret and relief

Regret and relief over choices that affect others are common in adulthood, yet their developmental origins remain unclear. Across two preregistered studies, Australian 4–9-year-olds (N = 384, 192 females; 2023–2024) selected gifts for characters who reacted with happiness or sadness. In Study 1, children either had a choice or no choice over their gift selections. With increasing age, children reported stronger regret and relief when they could have chosen better or worse gifts, respectively. In Study 2, the foreseeability of gift preferences was manipulated. Older children reported stronger regret when negative outcomes were foreseeable but stronger relief when positive outcomes were unforeseeable. Overall, children showed gradually increasing evidence of interpersonal regret and relief across middle childhood.