Relating to or expressing what would happen if a situation were different from the actual facts; contrary to the real facts.
From counter- + factual (from Latin factum, meaning 'actual fact'). Developed as a philosophical term to discuss hypothetical scenarios and alternate possibilities.
Counterfactual thinking is how humans plan for the future—when you imagine 'what if I studied harder' or 'what if I took that job,' you're using counterfactual reasoning to learn from choices and imagine different outcomes.
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