A new research at the University of Minnesota says rats can experience regret just like humans. A task called 'Restaurant Row' was developed by researchers to know if rats can experience the feeling of regret.

Researchers defined the feeling of regret as 'the recognition of making a mistake, that if you have done something else, you would have been better off'. For the experiment, researchers measured the rats' orbitofrontal cortex, which is a part of brain that gets active when regret is experienced, while they were given flavored pellets.

Rats were asked to determine the time they had to wait for certain foods. Each rat was presented with a series of food options. But every option had a set, limited amount of time available.

It was on the rats that whether they wait for longer time period for their favorite food items or not. It was noticed rats do not mind skipping an entrance if they found wait for the meal is getting longer.

But sometimes, when they made a bad choice then they stopped and looked back and researchers took it as regret. When assessed, rats' orbitofrontal cortex also confirmed this suggestion. The research showed some rats even learned from their mistakes they way humans do.

"In humans, a part of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex is active during regret. We found in rats that recognized they had made a mistake, indicators in the orbitofrontal cortex represented the missed opportunity", said A. David Redish from the University of Minnesota Medical School's Department of Neuroscience.

The study finding seems to have better application as it will help other researchers to know how regret plays a role in the human decision making process.