title: Looking on the bright side: downward counterfactual thinking in response to negative life events.
abstract: Past research has found that downward counterfactual thoughts are rarely generated in response to negative life events. However, the authors suggest that under conditions in which self-enhancement motives are prominent, downward counterfactuals will be more frequent than upward counterfactuals. When motives were explicitly manipulated (Study 1), people generated more downward counterfactuals in the self-enhancement than in the self-improvement and control conditions. In Study 2, among those chronically more motivated to self-enhance (i.e., European Canadians), a manipulation of event severity led to the generation of more downward than upward counterfactuals. This finding was mediated by the desire for self-enhancement. In Study 3, cultural background and the opportunity for self-affirmation were related to the generation of downward counterfactuals in expected ways. Implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. kate.white@haskayne.ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Darrin R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lehman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000339:Affect; D001290:Attitude; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D012649:Self Concept; D013850:Thinking