769 word 【Para. 1】Did you ever have thoughts like this:“What if I had married and raised three kids instead of traveling the world and focusing on my career?” “What if I moved to Italy like I had always dreamed of instead of staying in the U.S. after college?” “What if I had chosen to buy a farm and make organic cheese instead of becoming an investment banker?”
【Para. 2】As we get older, we must choose between different options in life again and again. Once we decide on one option, the others often disappear forever. If later in life someone is unhappy with the choices they made, it is common for them to start thinking “What if?” thoughts. One important question is: Is “What if?” thinking harmless, or does it make people feel unhappy about the choices they made and their lives in general?
【Para. 3】A new psychological study on “What if?” thinking from midlife onwards
A new study published on October 7, 2025, in the scientific journal GeroScience, focused on the important question of whether “What If?” thinking in the later parts of life has negative consequences for emotional health (Galli and co-workers, 2025). In the study, “Age differences in what-if thinking from midlife onwards: Prefrontal contribution and implications for emotional health in late life”, the scientists analyzed data from more than 494 German volunteers between 48 and 75 years old. The volunteers participated in a so-called sequential risk-taking task. In this task, volunteers faced eight pictures of boxes on a computer screen. Seven of the boxes contained a virtual golden coin, for which the participants got one point each if they were opened. However, one box contained a picture of a devil. If this box was opened, the volunteer lost all points from the trial. On each trial, the volunteers had to move a red frame on the box to which they wanted all the boxes to be opened. The more boxes they opened, the more points they could earn, but the risk of losing all progress also increased. This task was used as it has been shown that it can experimentally induce “What If?” thinking after lost trials in some people.
【Para. 4】Moreover, the volunteers filled out various psychological questionnaires to assess their individual life satisfaction, emotion regulation, and symptoms of depression. Last, but not least, the scientists also analyzed neuroimaging data to assess how the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is functionally connected to other areas of the brain. This brain area was chosen as it has been shown in previous studies that it is crucial for emotional ageing and plays a role in a shift towards positive emotion during ageing.
【Para. 5】What did the researchers find out?
The first result of the study was that the older people got, the more satisfied with life and the less depressed they were. Moreover, older adults showed less “What if?” thinking than younger adults in the sample. However, this finding was only true for older adults who did not show any major depressive symptoms. This suggests that older adults who can stay away from “What if?” thinking were generally less depressed than those who did ruminate about missed opportunities a lot. Therefore, the scientists suggested that excessive “What if?” thinking may be a risk factor for depression in old age. Further analysis showed that the ability to suppress “What if?” thinking improved emotional health in older adults because it allows for a more positive appraisal of life. Moreover, the analysis of the neuroimaging data showed that connections between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and another brain area, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, were particularly important for reduced “What if?” thinking in old age. This brain area is important for thinking and decision-making, but also for resolving conflicts. Thus, a combination of positive emotion regulation and the ability to resolve conflicts is crucial to avoid regret due to “What if?” thinking.
【Para. 6】Takeaway
As we age, missed opportunities accumulate. This study shows that thinking too much about what could have been could increase depression risk. Therefore, it is best for mental health to avoid too much “What If?” thinking to prevent bitterness and regret. Building psychological resilience in older adults to deal with regret due to missed opportunities could therefore be a meaningful way to help them achieve and maintain better mental health.
【声明】：本文原文摘选自 Psychology Today，原文版权归杂志所有，仅供个人学习交流使用。
