The Power of Positive Thinking shows, organized the American Foundation of Religion and Psychiatry, and co-founded the spiritual newsletter "Guideposts" with his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale. "The Power of Positive Thinking" was published in October 1952 and continues to be Peale's most widely read work. It lived on the New York Time's best-sellers list for 186 weeks, 48 of which were spent in the No. 1 nonfiction spot. The book sold more than 5 million copies worldwide — 2.5 million from 1952 to 1956 — and was eventually translated into over 40 languages. Other books published by Peale around 1952 include "The Art of Real
Counterfactual thinking goal-directed activity. Past studies have shown that counterfactuals serve a preparative function on both individual and group level. When people fail to achieve their goals, counterfactual thinking will be activated (e.g., studying more after a disappointing grade;). When they engage in upward counterfactual thinking, people are able to imagine alternatives with better positive outcomes. The outcome seems worse when compared to positive alternative outcomes. This realization motivates them to take positive action in order to meet their goal in the future. Markman, Gavanski, Sherman, and McMullen (1993) identified the repeatability of an event as an important factor in determining what