New research reveals how our minds navigate causation and counterfactuals.
The article explores how psychologists and philosophers study how people think about causes and "what if" scenarios. They look at how kids around 3-4 years old start thinking about "what could have happened." They also discuss how we use these ideas to understand the difference between causes and conditions. The researchers suggest that when we think about why things happen, we often consider what could have happened differently. They also ask if we sometimes think about these possibilities without even realizing it.