What might have been

Counterfactual thought concerning personal decisions

Bibliographic Data

ID5267950
AuthorsJanet Landman (University of Michigan, corresponding author), Jean Denby Manis (University of Michigan)
Year1992
Volume83
Issue4
Pages473-477
Publication date1992-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1269 • E-ISSN: 2044-8295
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.2044-8295.1992.tb02453.x
OpenAlexW2098426526
LanguageEN
Citations received15

Counterfactual thinking entails the process of imagining alternatives to reality -what might have been. The present study explores the incidence and content of counterfactual thinking about personal decisions in three samples of adults. The results indicate, first, that counterfactual thought occurs frequently among normal adults, with approximately half of each sample reporting that they would do something differently if they had their lives to live over. Secondly, there appear to be common themes to the counterfactuals reported in various real-life domains. For example, it is common to imagine states counter to the realities of having married early, having curtailed one's education, and having experienced unsatisfactory interpersonal relationships. In general, it appears that decisions and events that were unusual, that have proved less than ideal, or that have prematurely closed off important life options most often generate counterfactual thinking

Cognitive psychology · Counterfactual thinking · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Psychology · Social Psychology

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