You broke someone's heart. You missed your kid's recital. You weren't there for your mom when she needed you. Guilt can be painful – but it can also be a powerful tool for connection.
Taya Cohen, who researches honesty and moral character at Carnegie Mellon University, and Han Ren, a clinical psychologist based in Austin, Texas, explain how to cope with some of the unhealthy emotions that can come with guilt — and transform it into a positive force.
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/49cde74/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x3125+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2024%2F05%2F21%2Fguilt-panel-1_custom-86c1156a465208e0d14adae103ab440baa8aa18f.jpg)
/ Malaka Gharib
/
Malaka Gharib
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/22ffb12/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x3125+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2024%2F05%2F21%2Fguilt-panel-2_custom-143d5ae292251fc90957ae4d5e82237e2d970e98.jpg)
/ Malaka Gharib
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Malaka Gharib
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c6911bc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x3125+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2024%2F05%2F21%2Fguilt-panel-3_custom-03255919e439486753b8171beeaecc76d2bc0e2c.jpg)
/ Malaka Gharib
/
Malaka Gharib
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fd4447a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x3125+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2024%2F05%2F21%2Fguilt-panel-4_custom-f7406410a4b595e5ec99189c9a1b10c6b106b459.jpg)
/ Malaka Gharib
/
Malaka Gharib
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/94fb25d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x3125+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2024%2F05%2F21%2Fguilt-panel-5_custom-fb92c598b20506a4f2d0ac6ca63418bf0d9b5c22.jpg)
/ Malaka Gharib
/
Malaka Gharib
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4289135/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x3125+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2024%2F05%2F21%2Fguilt-panel-6-copy_custom-4666a9054cef6c133b90db02dfa0172efe2e564c.jpg)
/ Malaka Gharib
/
Malaka Gharib
The comic was edited by Andee Tagle and Beck Harlan. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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