Abstract Thinking about what might have been—counterfactual thinking—is a common
feature of the mental landscape. Key questions about counterfactual thinking center on why …

Counterfactual thoughts mutate reality to imagine how things might have been different than
they actually are. These types of thoughts are more frequent when the antecedent is unusual …

Counterfactual thoughts are based on the assumption that one situation could result in
multiple possible outcomes. This assumption underlies most theories of free will and …

Episodic counterfactual thoughts—imagined alternative ways in which personal past events
might have occurred—are frequently accompanied by intense emotions. Here, participants …

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that plagues a particular population of
students–the unskilled. This population suffers from illusory competence, as determined by …

Functional counterfactual thinking is a self-regulatory process that converts information
about past mistakes into plans for future action. However, there is limited research on how …

Why do individuals mentally modify reality (eg,“If it hadn't rained, we would have won the
game”)? According to the dominant view, counterfactuals primarily serve to prepare future …

Aversive autobiographical memories sometimes prompt maladaptive emotional responses
and contribute to affective dysfunction in anxiety and depression. One way to regulate the …

In two studies, we investigated for the first time the content of children's counterfactual
thoughts about their own experiences. Results showed that the majority of children aged 8 …

Counterfactual reflection (CFR)—thinking about “what might have been if”—can enhance
learning from experience, but only if the CFR is high-quality. Yet, what shapes differences in …