Cause-and-effect analysis helps understand why events occur or what their results will be. An effect is what happened, while a contributing cause explains why. Cause-and-effect thinking allows us to make sense of past and future events, plan effectively, and implement informed decisions. A cause can lead to multiple effects and an effect can have multiple causes, so analyses should mention all relevant factors rather than oversimplify. Immediate causes are near in time to an event, while remote causes occur farther in the past.