[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/05\/cognitive-distortions\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/05\/cognitive-distortions\/","headline":"Cognitive Distortions Explained With 10 Examples","name":"Cognitive Distortions Explained With 10 Examples","description":"Cognitive distortions can wreak havoc on your life and relationships. Learn what you can do to help yourself, or a loved one, overcome distorted thinking.","datePublished":"2021-05-13","dateModified":"2022-04-20","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/behavioral-health-regions","name":"UPMC Western Behavioral Health","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/behavioral-health-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/behavioral-health\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/depression-740x493_Type.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/depression-740x493_Type.jpg","height":493,"width":740},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/05\/cognitive-distortions\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Mental Health"],"wordCount":1261,"articleBody":"Depending on how we interpret events, our minds can sometimes play tricks on us. They can convince us of things that aren\u2019t true, even though they feel rational to us.When these inaccurate beliefs influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions, we can feel anxious, stressed, angry, or depressed about ourselves (or the world around us). These faulty beliefs are known as cognitive distortions.What Are Cognitive Distortions?Anyone can experience cognitive distortion, which the American Psychological Association defines as \u201cfaulty or inaccurate thinking, perception or belief.\u201d Negativity is often the defining characteristic.For some of us, distorted thinking is a momentary blip. We get upset when we fail a math test. We briefly reason that we\u2019re bad at math, instead of realizing we need to study more. But we typically move on and try again.For others, cognitive distortions are a pattern of thinking that interferes with their lives and relationships. In these cases, distorted thinking can lead to chronic anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems such as misuse of substances.The 10 Most Common Cognitive DistortionsLet\u2019s review some common cognitive distortion examples. You might see your own thought patterns reflected here, or they may describe someone you know. Engaging in catastrophic thinking.You to expect the worst outcome in any situation. You often find yourself thinking, \u201cWhat if\u2026?\u201d If your child misses curfew, you imagine he\u2019s been in a car accident. If your boss schedules a meeting, you worry you\u2019ll be fired. And your thinking spirals from there: You may think of losing your child. Getting fired means you\u2019ll become homeless.Catastrophic thinking can lead to is closely related to and can be heavily influenced by depression and anxiety disorders. This type of thinking can lead to relationship straining behaviors or judgements. People engaging in catastrophic thinking might see everything as pointless. Discounting the positive.When something goes right \u2014 say you get a promotion \u2014 you acknowledge it but refuse to take credit. Instead, you chalk it up to dumb luck or a mistake. Or, you receive many positive comments on an evaluation, but choose to focus on a single piece of negative feedback.This kind of thinking can hurt a person\u2019s sense of pride and self-esteem. Anxiety is associated with discounting positives. Emotional reasoning.You rely on \u201cgut\u201d feelings over objective evidence to judge yourself and the world. For example, \u201cI feel like a bad mother, therefore I must be a bad mother.\u201dThis kind of thinking can be harmful as it may lead to irrational decision making and judgements. Eating disorders and other behavior changes may come from emotional reasoning. Labeling and mislabeling.You often define yourself and others with negative labels. In assigning labels, you focus on one past behavior or event. Your co-worker is \u201clazy\u201d because they came to work late. You\u2019re \u201cstupid\u201d because you failed the math test.\u00a0Labeling and mislabeling can damage a person\u2019s self-esteem and their view of other people. This thinking can have effects similar to depression. Mental filtering.You view yourself, your life, and your future through a negative lens. You ignore anything positive. Filtering can increase feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.\u00a0Mental filtering can be linked to depression or suicidal thoughts. People exhibiting mental filtering might isolate themselves from others.Jumping to conclusions.You base your decisions not on what someone says or does, but on what you believe they\u2019re thinking. You don\u2019t ask what the other person thinks or feels.Mind-reading is a kind of jumping to conclusions where you fill in the gaps of your knowledge by assuming someone else\u2019s thoughts. You believe you can read minds or anticipate reactions. This assumption may stem from one instance of being correct that makes you believing you always know what others are really thinking.Fortune-telling is another form of cognitive distortion related to jumping to conclusions. You insist you can predict the future, regardless of what you do. You\u2019ll be famous without putting in the hard work. Or you\u2019ll always be a failure, so hard work is a waste of time. Overgeneralization.People who overgeneralize apply their experience from one event to another. If your marriage ended in divorce, you think you\u2019re not worthy of love. As a result, you might conclude you should never date again.\u00a0Overgeneralizing can lead to damaged self-esteem and world view. Personalization.If people often tell you, \u201cstop taking this so personally,\u201d then you likely experience personalization. You blame yourself for things outside of your control. You falsely believe that everything that someone says or does is a direct reaction to you. Personalization can convince you that you are being targeted or excluded. It can also cause you to compare yourself to others. Black-and-white or polarized thinking.This kind of thinking deals in extremes. People and situations are either great or terrible. You believe you\u2019re either destined for success or failure. You don\u2019t allow room for balanced perspectives or outcomes. \u201cShould\u201d statements.You have a list of rules for how people should and shouldn\u2019t behave. Constantly blaming yourself or others for what \u201cshould\u201d have been said or done (but wasn\u2019t) can increase stress and anxiety. You will never be happy if you always focus on what \u201cshould\u201d have been.Challenging Cognitive DistortionsCognitive behavioral therapy is widely used to help break the cycle of distorted thinking. A trained psychotherapist can work with you to retrain your brain to identify and challenge cognitive distortions using thought records, cognitive restructuring exercises, and behavioral exercises.Identify the thought: Take a moment to examine and analyze your thought process that has led you to this conclusion. Do you have proof to support this thought? Are you drawing conclusions based on your feelings or on evidence? How might your own biases influence this conclusion?Reframe the thought:\u00a0Try approaching your situation from a different perspective. Perhaps imagine the best possible outcome versus the worst possible outcome, versus what is most likely to happen.Consider why you think this way:\u00a0Think about the conclusion you\u2019ve made and if any of your preconceptions may have influenced this.Cognitive Behavior Therapy can help prevent cognitive distortions:\u00a0Cognitive distortions are common and can be difficult to manage, however there are treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help. CBT is typically a short-term therapy solution that works to identify the troubling or traumatic situations in your life, increase your awareness of the thoughts and beliefs you hold regarding those situations as well as the negative or inaccurate thoughts surrounding them, and reshaping those thoughts to be more conducive to healthy thinking. This final step is the most difficult and can take time and practice to make your thoughts healthy and helpful.For more information on behavioral health services, call UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital\u00a0at 1-877-624-4100 or 412-624-1000. Editor's Note: This article was originally published on May 13, 2021, and was last reviewed on April 20, 2022.SourcesAndrea Wyssen. Relevance of the Thought\u2013Shape Fusion Trait Questionnaire for healthy women and women presenting symptoms of eating disorders and mixed mental disorders. Clinical Psychology Psychotherapy. LinkDavid Berle. Does Emotional Reasoning Change During Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety? Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Link Laura L. Fazakas-DeHoog. A Cognitive Distortions and Deficits Model of Suicide Ideation. Europe's Journal of Psychology. Link Melina Andrea del Pozo. Cognitive Distortions in Anorexia Nervosa and Borderline Personality Disorder. Psychiatry Research. LinkMohamad El Haj. False Memory in Alzheimer's Disease. Behavioral Neurology. LinkOlimpia Matarazzo. The Gambler's Fallacy in Problem and Non-Problem Gamblers. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. Link"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"05","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/\/05\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Cognitive Distortions Explained With 10 Examples","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/05\/cognitive-distortions\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]