What else could have caused it? Counterfactuals, enablers and alternatives

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore why people focus on enablers rather than causes in their counterfactual thinking (i.e., how people undo the past). We report the results of an experiment that compared causes and enablers in likelihood and the number of available alternatives. The results indicate that the number of alternatives may explain the focus of counterfactual thoughts. The findings are discussed in the context of previous research on counterfactual thinking and causality.