“If Only I Didn't Embarrass Myself in Front of the Class!”: Social Anxiety and Upward Counterfactual Thinking

This study examined the relationship between social anxiety (SA) and upward counterfactual thinking (U-CFT; “if only…” thoughts imagining better outcomes to past events). Although generally considered adaptive, U-CFT has also been associated with negative affect and social anxiety (e.g., Kocovski, Endler, Rector, & Flett, 2005). Participants (n = 88) were randomly assigned to generate U-CFT after reading a scenario depicting either controllable social-evaluative failure (e.g., lack of preparation for a presentation) or uncontrollable social-evaluative failure (e.g., technological malfunction during a presentation for which one is well-prepared). When both scenarios were analyzed together, SA was not significantly related to U-CFT. Instead, scenario controllability emerged as a significant predictor of U-CFT, qualified by a significant interaction between SA and scenario controllability. Indeed, in the uncontrollable scenario, SA was not related to U-CFT generation; in contrast, in the controllable scenario, SA was significantly correlated with U-CFT, such that higher levels of SA predicted more U-CFT. The relationship between SA and U-CFT in the controllable condition could not be accounted for by self-reported depression, perfectionism, or rumination. These findings are discussed within the context of literature on post event processing in social anxiety.