“Why am I the unluckiest person in the entire world.”
“I just failed my test in school. I’m not good at my studies, I might as well quit.”
“I work harder than my colleagues but why am I not eligible for that promotion”
You’ve experienced cognitive distortions. We all have. Ever thought that you did awful at a job interview or school presentation but somehow ended up passing with flying colours? That was your mind leading you astray.
Our circumstances don’t define us. Regardless of what happens in life, we always have the power to choose our attitude. If you’re human, you have likely fallen for a few of the numerous cognitive distortions at one time or another. So what’s the difference between someone who remains hopeful despite experiencing great suffering and the person who stubs his or her toe and remains angry the rest of the day? The answer lies in the person’s thinking patterns.
"Our circumstances don’t define us."
Cognitive distortions are internal mental filters or biases that increase our misery, fuel our anxiety, and make us feel bad about ourselves. Our brains are continually processing lots of information. To deal with this, our brains seek shortcuts to cut down our mental burden. Sometimes these shortcuts are helpful, yet in other circumstances — such as with these unhelpful cognitive filters — they can cause more harm than good.
Errors in thinking, or cognitive distortions, are particularly effective at provoking or exacerbating symptoms of depression. It is still a bit ambiguous as to whether these distortions cause depression or depression brings out these distortions (after all, correlation does not equal causation!) but it is clear that they frequently go hand-in-hand.
Unhelpful thinking and why we do it
Ruminative thinking — negative thought patterns that loop repeatedly in our minds — is common in many psychiatric disorders. This type of thinking also contributes to the unhappiness and alienation that many people feel. One certainly doesn’t have to have a psychiatric diagnosis to ruminate unhelpfully.
Most of us do this to a certain extent in response to our anxieties about certain situations and challenges. Rumination can represent an ongoing attempt to come up with insight or solutions to problems we are concerned about. Unfortunately, with the presence of these cognitive filters, it can devolve into a counterproductive and depression-worsening type of brooding. These unhelpful filters make whatever life circumstances we find ourselves in that much more anxiety-provoking and challenging.
"One certainly doesn’t have to have a psychiatric diagnosis to ruminate unhelpfully."
Our thoughts have a great impact on how we feel and how we behave. When you treat these negative thoughts as facts, you may see yourself and act in a way based on faulty assumptions.
Everyone falls into cognitive distortions on occasion. It’s part of the human experience. This happens particularly when we’re feeling down. But if you engage too frequently in negative thoughts, your mental health can take a hit.
Cognitive distortions are irrational ways of thinking that aren't helpful. Everyone has them from time to time, but when they become excessive, they can cause distress or negatively impact your quality of life. They can also lead to maladaptive behaviours and increase your risk for mental health disorders like depression.
Is thinking with cognitive distortions a mental illness?
Research suggests that cognitive distortions may occur in numerous mental health conditions. These include depression, dysphoria, and anxiety disorders. However, cognitive distortions aren’t considered a mental illness on their own. In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), cognitive distortion is not listed as a mental health condition. Experiencing occasional cognitive distortions is natural. However, experiencing them regularly could be a reason to see a mental health professional for help.
Causes
It is thought that cognitive distortions develop over time. We have automatic thoughts when something happens, which then trigger specific emotions and behaviours. Over time, the thoughts-emotions-behaviours chain of events can become habitual, even if it's not entirely rational. This is how cognitive distortion develops.
Types
There are many different types of cognitive distortions. Knowing the different types can help you identify problematic ways of thinking.
Polarised Thinking
Polarised thinking is when you think in absolutes. It is very black-and-white, dichotomous thinking. Things are good or bad, never in between. Sometimes called “all-or-nothing” or “black-and-white thinking,” this distortion occurs when people habitually think in extremes without considering all the possible facts in a given situation.
When you’re convinced that you’re either destined for success or doomed to failure, that the people in your life are either angelic or evil, you’re probably engaging in polarised thinking. This kind of distortion is unrealistic and often unhelpful because reality often exists between the two extremes.
Overgeneralisation
When people overgeneralise, they reach a conclusion about one event and then incorrectly apply that conclusion across the board. In other words, you might assume that one negative event means every subsequent event thereafter will be negative too.
In overgeneralisation, a person makes assumptions based on one occurrence. For instance, if they have one awkward job interview, they'll say that they're always awkward at job interviews. People who overgeneralise often focus on the negative and expect defeat.
Overgeneralisation has been associated with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders.
Catastrophising
This distorted thinking leads people to dread or assume the worst when faced with the unknown — despite a lack of evidence supporting such predictions. When people catastrophise, ordinary worries can quickly escalate.
Catastrophising when you only see the worst outcome of a situation. Any minor mistake is horrible, any inconvenience ruins everything, and any small setback means you'll never reach your goal.
It’s easy to dismiss catastrophising as a “hysterical” overreaction. Still, people who have developed this cognitive distortion may have experienced repeated adverse events — like chronic pain or childhood trauma — so often that they fear the worst in many situations.
Personalisation
One of the most common errors in thinking is taking things personally when they’re not connected to or caused by you at all. You may be engaging in personalisation when you blame yourself for circumstances that aren’t your fault, or are beyond your control.
When someone holds themselves responsible for an act or event that is beyond their control, that is personalisation. It can also take the form of thinking that everything other people do or say is about you.
Personalisation has been associated with heightened anxiety and depression.
Mental Filtering
This distorted thought pattern involves the tendency to ignore positives and focus exclusively on negatives. This is known as mental filtering. Filtering can also be referred to as discounting the positive. In this cognitive distortion, a person always focuses on the negative in a situation. Any positive aspects of an event are discounted. For example, a person will ignore any praise that's given during a job performance review and will focus on one piece of critical feedback instead.
Interpreting circumstances using a negative mental filter is inaccurate and can also worsen anxiety and depression symptoms. Researchers have found that having a negative perspective of yourself and your future can cause feelings of hopelessness. These thoughts may become extreme enough to trigger suicidal thoughts.
Mind Reading (Jumping to Conclusions)
When people assume they know what others are thinking, they’re resorting to mind reading. With this cognitive delusion, you may also assume that others are thinking negative thoughts about you.
It can be hard to distinguish between mind reading and empathy — the ability to perceive and understand what others may be feeling.
With this cognitive distortion, a person will conclude a situation despite having no evidence to back it up. If a friend doesn't show up for a get-together, for example, the person may immediately think the other person doesn't want to be friends anvmore without knowing the whole story.
At least one study found that mind reading is more common among children than adolescents or adults and is associated with anxiety.
Emotional Reasoning
In emotional reasoning, one's emotions colour the view of a situation or themselves. How you feel becomes the absolute reality of a situation. For example, if you felt nervous during a presentation, this cognitive distortion can make you believe that the entire presentation was awful.
Emotional reasoning refers to the false belief that your emotions are the truth — and that the way you feel about a situation is a reliable indicator of reality.. While it’s important to listen to, validate, and express emotion, it’s equally important to judge reality based on rational evidence.
It’s a pattern of thinking used by people with and without anxiety or depression.
Labelling
Labelling is describing yourself, others, or events with broad, general statements, often based on limited evidence. The labels persist even after instances that prove they're not true-like saying you're stupid when you are not, for example.
Labelling is a cognitive distortion in which people classify themselves in a negative way following an undesirable event. For example, they might reduce themselves or other people to a single — usually negative — characteristic or descriptor, such as a “failure.”
When people label, they define themselves and others based on a single event or behaviour. Labelling can cause people to berate themselves. It can also cause the thinker to misunderstand or underestimate others. This misperception can cause problems between people.
"Should" Statements
Using "should" statements like "I should not be nervous" only serves to put undue pressure or expectations on you.
When people find themselves thinking in terms of what “should” and “ought” to be said or done, it’s possible that a cognitive distortion is at work. It’s rarely helpful to chastise yourself with what you “should” be able to do in a given situation. “Should” and “ought” statements are often used by the thinker to take on a negative view of their life. These types of thoughts are often rooted in internalised family or cultural expectations that might not be appropriate for an individual. Such thoughts can diminish your self-esteem and raise anxiety levels.
Blaming
This mind trap consists of blaming others for their problems. It is different from Personalisation in that the person directs the blame externally. Rather than blaming themselves or taking some responsibility, they tend to play a victim role and hold other people responsible for their pain.
Blaming Example
Placing blame for relationship issues on your partner instead of sharing the responsibility for actions taken by both partners. You assume the victim mentality and think everything they do is to hurt you.
Always Being Right
This thinking pattern causes a person to always have the need to be right. They internalise their opinions as facts and will put others on trial to prove that their own opinions or actions are the correct ones. Being wrong is not acceptable and they will go to great lengths to demonstrate their belief.
Always Being Right Example
Two people at work have a disagreement about how one technical part of the project should be executed. One person believes it should be done their way because that’s how it’s always been done. But the other argues based on facts that there are industry-standard procedures that need to be followed. The person completely ignores these facts and argues their opinion to any extent.
Control Fallacy
Control fallacies are when someone thinks that things out of their control are actually in their control even another person's behaviour or feelings. Or, it can take the form of feeling externally controlled and powerless about everything in their own life.
Fairness Fallacy
This cognitive distortion leads a person to feel resentful that the world doesn't operate according to their idea of what's fair. For instance, if their coworker got a promotion, they might feel that they automatically deserve a promotion as well.
Change Fallacy
Believing that other people need to change their behaviour to make us happy is part of the change fallacy. With this cognitive distortion, a person often expects that others will change once they've been pressured enough.
Heaven’s Reward Fallacy
This belief is related to the Fallacy of Fairness, in that if we lived in a fair world we would be rewarded fairly. Heaven’s Reward Fallacy distortion is based on the reasoning that you should be rewarded based on how hard you work.
Similar to the Fallacy of Fairness, we will be disappointed because most things in reality aren’t fair. This leads to feelings of frustration, anger, and resentment.
Heaven’s Reward Fallacy Example
You were expecting to get a promotion this year because of your hard work. You believe you worked harder than the rest of your colleagues but you didn’t get the promotion. You feel resentment towards your colleague because you believe you should have been rewarded for your hard work. However, there could have been many reasons why they were promoted over you, hard work isn’t the only consideration.
A big part of dismantling our cognitive distortions is simply being aware of them and paying attention to how we are framing things to ourselves. Good mental habits are as important as good physical habits. If we frame things in a healthy, positive way, we almost certainly will experience less anxiety and isolation. This doesn’t mean that we ignore problems, challenges, or feelings, just that we approach them with a can-do attitude instead of letting our thoughts and feelings amplify our anxiety.
"A big part of dismantling our cognitive distortions is simply being aware of them and paying attention to how we are framing things to ourselves."
As someone who used to be an expert in getting tripped up by all these filters, I’ve learned to remind myself that whatever comes up, I’ll deal with it as well as I can. I try to trust my future self to cope, in an effective way, with whatever life will throw my way. As such, there’s no reason to worry about potential future problems in the here and now. If I worry about what might happen, then I have two problems: whatever hypothetical challenge that might not even come up in the future and a lot of unhelpful anxiety to contend with.
As an example, if someone cuts you off in traffic, they are just cutting off a random car, not you, because they have no idea who you are. So there’s no reason to take it personally. To personalise situations like this just makes you upset. If you don’t take it personally, it changes it from "jerk cut me off" to "people should drive more safely."
I also avoid unnecessary catastrophising (though this can be difficult when thinking about all that is happening in our world, including climate change). Above all, I try not to slip into emotional reasoning. None of us are devoid of all emotions that could undermine our logical processes. Everyone backslides and falls into old habits. But remember, we aim for progress, not perfection.
If you can set yourself free from these unhelpful cognitive filters, you will be more successful, more relaxed, and more able to enjoy your relationships.
"Good mental habits are as important as good physical habits."
Treatment
How can you change these distortions?
The good news is that cognitive distortions can be corrected over time. Most irrational patterns of thought can be reversed once you’re aware of them. This applies to negative thinking, too.
Still, cognitive distortions sometimes go hand in hand with mental health conditions, such as personality disorders. This makes it more challenging to reframe. Reaching out to a mental health professional can help if you feel the process is too overwhelming.
Meanwhile, try to remember that it’s not the events but your thoughts that upset you in many instances. You might not be able to change the events, but you can work on redirecting your distorted thoughts.
"Cognitive distortions can be corrected over time."
For many, one or more of these cognitive distortions will look familiar. You may fall into one or more of these traps or know someone who does. The good news is that cognitive distortions don’t have to weigh you down like an anchor.
Thought patterns can be changed through a process referred to in cognitive therapy as cognitive restructuring. The idea behind it is that by adjusting our automatic thoughts, we are able to influence our emotions and behaviours. This is the basis of several popular forms of therapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT).
If you feel that one or more of the above cognitive distortions is contributing to feelings of anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, I encourage you to consider finding a qualified therapist that you can trust to work with you and help transform your negative thoughts and beliefs into empowering affirmations that inspire and uplift you.
Here are some ideas and steps that you can take if you want to change thought patterns that may not be helpful:
Identify the troublesome thought
When you realise a thought is causing anxiety or dampening your mood, a good first step is to figure out what kind of distorted thinking is taking place.
Thinking about your thoughts
If an event is upsetting you, step away from it if you can and try to focus on what you’re telling yourself about the event.
Replacing absolutes
Once you focus on your thoughts and recognise a pattern, consider replacing statements such as “always” and “nothing” with “sometimes” and “this.”
Defining yourself and others
Try labelling the behaviour. Instead of labelling yourself “lazy” because you didn’t clean today, consider: “I just didn’t clean today.” One action doesn’t have to define you.
Searching for positive aspects
Even if it’s challenging at first, what if you find at least three positive examples in each situation. It might not feel natural, but eventually, it may become a spontaneous habit.
Try reframing the situation
Look for shades of grey, alternative explanations, objective evidence, and positive interpretations to expand your thinking.
You might find it helpful to write down your original thought, followed by three or four alternative interpretations.
Perform a cost-benefit analysis
People usually repeat behaviours that deliver some benefit. You might find it helpful to analyse how your thought patterns have helped you cope in the past. Do they give you a sense of control in situations where you feel powerless? Do they allow you to avoid taking responsibility or taking necessary risks?
You can also ask yourself what engaging in cognitive distortion costs you. Weighing the pros and cons of your thought patterns could motivate you to change them.
Consider cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT is a widely recognised form of talk therapy in which people learn to identify, interrupt, and change unhealthy thinking patterns.
If you’d like some guidance in identifying and changing distorted thinking, you might find this type of therapy useful. CBT usually focuses on specific goals. It generally takes place for a predetermined number of sessions and may take a few weeks to a few months to see results.
Look for a therapist who’s properly certified and licensed in the state where you live. Your therapist should be trained in CBT. Always remember to look for someone who’s certified and properly trained. Make sure to ask for their qualifications before hand.
If you need assistance with challenging cognitive distortions, professionals such as therapists and coaches are skilled at helping people change unhelpful ways of thinking.
If you are unable to find or afford a therapist or a coach, there are other resources available, such as apps to help with mindfulness, mutual support groups, group therapy or group coaching (which can be less expensive than individual treatment), employee assistance programs through your job, or online communities. Your primary care doctor or your health insurance may help connect you with other resources.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a kind of talk therapy that helps identify the connections between emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. The main objective of CBT is to identify cognitive distortions and replace them with more accurate and healthy ways of thinking.
Hopefully, this piece has given you a good understanding of cognitive distortions. These sneaky, inaccurate patterns of thinking and believing are common, but their potential impact should not be underestimated.
Even if you are not struggling with depression, anxiety, or another serious mental health issue, it doesn’t hurt to evaluate your own thoughts every now and then. The sooner you catch a cognitive distortion and mount a defence against it, the less likely it is to make a negative impact on your life.
Cognitive distortions are ways of thinking that are often habitual, negative, and not rooted in fact. They become more ingrained over time. With therapy, particularly CBT, it is possible to examine, dismantle, and reframe your thought process and break free from cognitive distortions.
It can be hard to recognise your cognitive distortions at times. Their hallmark is that they become a habit, so you don't even realise you're thinking irrationally. This is why CBT is so integral to treatment. A good therapist can help you change your thinking and improve your quality of life. Your healthcare provider can help you find a therapist who specialises in CBT.