According to the UK’s over 50s, Mark Twain was right

According to the UK’s over 50s, Mark Twain was right when he said “twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”.

The confirmation comes from new research by over 50s life insurance challenger brand FiftyLife which reveals the answer to that age-old question: is it better to regret the things you do, or the things you don’t do?

Almost two-thirds (65%) of the 2,000 over 50s surveyed said missed opportunities and risks not taken lead to more regret than doing and failing.

The revelation forms part of a wide-ranging exploration of the lessons those with a solid amount of life experience under their belts have to offer to younger generations.

As millennials prioritise seeing the world over buying a house , over a third of the over 50s surveyed wished they’d travelled more extensively, while a quarter say they wish they’d challenged themselves and taken more chances – and a similar number regret not pursuing a different career.

A further quarter of those questioned wish they’d ended a bad relationship sooner while, poignantly, more than 1 in 5 (23%) say they wished they’d told their parents they loved them while they still had time.

In terms of advice for those at the start of life’s journey, raising happy, healthy children was named as the best thing to achieve in life, cited as the number one aspiration by two thirds of participants, followed by finding a life partner (58%).

Money, careers and material things came a distant second to relationships, family and looking after your health.