These types of what-if questions can also be applied to the past, in what is called counterfactual thinking, which means thinking about the past by imagining that the past was different, counter to the facts of what actually occurred. You’ve probably seen this model in books and movies about scenarios such as what would have happened if Germany had won World War II (e.g., Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle). Examples from your own life can help you improve your decision making when you think through the possible consequences of your past decisions. What if I had taken that job? What
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