With an Eye Toward the Future: The Impact of Counterfactual Thinking on Affect, Attitudes, and Behavior

That counterfactuals stink of the past is perhaps the most well docu­ mented finding of prior research on counterfactual thinking. Thoughts about what might have been persist after an event and influence indi­ viduals' affective responses and judgments (see Roese & Olson, chapter 1). Findings from other research, including our own, however, indicate that counterfactuals can also smell of the in their influence on affective responses, attitudes, and behavior. In other words, individuals' concerns and thoughts about their future prospects might shape the nature and implications of their counterfactual thoughts.