“There are many upsides to guilt, one of which is that the anticipation of guilt can guide your behavior in such a way that it makes you more trustworthy and successful. It can lead to self-control in situations where you’d rather give up (like when you want to hit snooze and call in sick). It can cause you to uphold the goals of your employer and look out for their best interests (which can lead to promotions, recognition, and raises). It can cause you to give to those in need (a habit that leads to happiness and fulfillment). So while it can appear that guilt is a negative emotion that always steals our joy, the anticipation of guilt if we don’t live up to expectations can actually lead us to make choices that meet others’ expectations. And those choices often come with positive rewards and success. This is the upside of guilt: it can be a guide that makes you better. For example:

•GUILT PROMPTS YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Over time, doing the right thing builds positive relationships, helps you reach important goals, and makes you trustworthy.

•GUILT HELPS YOU STAY TRUE TO YOUR VALUES. Staying true to your values brings peace. It also means being authentic, a necessary skill for resilience.

•GUILT IS AN INVITATION TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. It’s healthy to own up to it when you are wrong. Guilt invites you to take responsibility for your actions.

•GUILT CAN TRIGGER POSITIVE CHANGE. If you want to align your actions with your values and be at peace, then guilt, or the anticipation of it, can motivate you to take action to change.

•GUILT CONTROLS GREED. Guilt can trigger fairness when excesses tip out of balance.”