Cognitive Distortions

Introduction

We’ve all been there. You’re feeling a little down and you make an off-hand comment that turns into a full-blown self-pity party. Or maybe you’re having trouble getting through your day and find yourself constantly blaming external factors for the way things are going: “It’s always raining here!” Or, “I’m never going to get anything done!” If any of these seem familiar, it might be time to check out the list below—these are called cognitive distortions, which means they reflect how our minds try to keep us from suffering too much by making sure we think about ourselves in the worst possible light. We’ll explain each one in detail below!

“All-or-nothing thinking”

“All-or-nothing thinking” is a common tendency that can make you feel like you are stuck. You may think, for example:

• If I eat one cookie, then I am a failure.

• If I don’t get this job, then my life is over.

These kinds of thoughts can be self-defeating because they set us up for failure and disappointment by making us feel like we have to do everything perfectly or nothing at all (hence the name “all-or-nothing” thinking). By contrast, when we avoid these types of thinking traps by accepting ourselves as imperfect human beings with good qualities but also bad ones—and focusing on what we can control rather than what we can’t—we will be less likely to fall prey to negative thoughts that lead nowhere but down a darker path towards more trouble in our lives!

“Overgeneralization”

Overgeneralization is when you take a single negative event and generalize it to all other events. It’s like saying, “I don’t have any friends.” This can lead to depression if the person believes that no one likes them or cares about them.

To correct this cognitive distortion, you need to become aware of your thoughts and analyze them carefully before they have time to take shape in your mind. You might say something like “I’m not sure why I feel so lonely” instead of just believing that everyone hates you for no reason at all!

“Mental filter”

The “mental filter” refers to a tendency for people to focus on the negative aspects of things, such as how much time is wasted in traffic or how many times you spill your coffee. You only notice these things because they stand out compared with what else is going on around you.

In fact, there’s even an entire field dedicated to studying this phenomenon: cognitive psychology! It’s called cognitive distortion theory (CDT). This theory says that people are prone to making these errors when they’re trying not just to perceive reality but also change their beliefs about it—and some researchers have found that this happens more often than we’d like!

So if your friend says “I’m so excited!” while holding up his hand with two fingers sticking out instead of three? He might be suffering from cognitive distortion number one: mental filtering (or selective perception).

“Disqualifying the positive”

When you discover that you have a distortion, it’s important to understand how it works and why it occurs. In this section, we’ll talk about the first two distortions: “Disqualifying the positive” (rejecting positive experiences) and “All or nothing thinking” (focusing on negative experiences).

• Disqualifying The Positive – You tend to reject positive experiences and focus on negative ones. You see yourself as having failed because you’ve experienced something bad or reject your successes as not being real or meaningful. For example: If your boss praises you for an excellent report, but then goes over budget in his next project presentation due to his own lack of planning skills—you might find yourself feeling discouraged by this feedback rather than inspired by what he said about your work!

“Jumping to conclusions”

One of the most common cognitive distortions is the tendency to jump to conclusions. When you’re stressed, it’s natural for your brain to jump to conclusions: “This person is trying to hurt me!” or “I’m being judged by my body language.” This kind of thinking can be dangerous because it leads us into dangerous situations or places where we don’t belong.

Here are some ways you can avoid jumping to conclusions as well as how you can improve your ability when someone else does:

• Avoid labeling people based on their appearance (e.g., “She looks like she could be an ax murderer!”)

• Be aware of how much emotion is involved in situations before reacting (e.g., if someone gets angry at you, ask yourself why they’re getting angry). If there isn’t any reason for them being upset, then maybe there isn’t anything wrong with what happened!

“Mind reading”

You assume that others know what you’re thinking and feeling.

• You think they know why you are behaving the way you are, or what your intentions are.

• You expect them to have the same view of things as yourself, and if they don’t then this can cause problems in relationships.

“Magnification (minimization)”

“Magnification (minimization)” is the tendency to exaggerate the negative, and minimize or ignore the positive. This can be harmful because it leads you to make poor decisions that could have been avoided had you taken into account all of the information available at the time.

In one study, participants were asked to consider themselves as a man who had just won $1 million in a lottery drawing. Participants who were primed with magnifying words thought they had won more money than those who weren’t prime-primed; however, when asked how much money they’d actually win if they played again next week, both groups estimated roughly equivalent amounts—$2 million vs $1 million (!).

Conclusion

It’s important to be aware of these cognitive distortions and the ways they can affect your life. By learning what they are, you can take steps to prevent them from affecting you and your relationships in the future.