How many times have you wondered about how much better things might have been if the younger you had made different decisions? Or, have you breathed a sigh of relief when you recognize that one of your lucky choices ended up much better off than you might have been, if things had gone a different way?
1[■] It is the birthplace of emotions such as regret, gratitude, and guilt. Picturing an alternative outcome to what has actually happened in one’s life holds an irresistible appeal, even when it leads to unhappiness. It is therefore not surprising that it has become a hot topic of research in social psychology.
Counterfactual thinking often plays out in real-time on national television after a natural disaster. 2[■] The victims are usually shaken and highly emotional, and they have often lost everything that they owned. And yet, we commonly hear them use words such as “lucky” or “grateful” to describe their feelings.
3[■] If the person had really been lucky, wouldn’t they still have a house and have been spared from all of the grief they must now endure? Some psychologists have argued that one of the benefits of counterfactual thinking is that it can be an effective tool for making us more resilient (迅速复苏的). 4[■] That paves the way for positive emotions that might help them through a very dark time in their lives.
Counterfactual thinking is simply part of who we are. 5[■] Many psychologists believe that it exists to helps us crystallize (变明确) the goals that are most important to us and to improve our ability to wisely choose future courses of action.