Understanding Cognitive Distortions: A CBT Guide
Have you ever believed something that wasn’t true or helpful to you? Have you ever jumped to conclusions, had an exaggerated idea of a situation, or had an irrational reaction to a problem? As humans, we all experience these moments in our lives, and when we do it’s often because we have just experienced the repercussion of a cognitive distortion. A cognitive distortion is a pattern of thinking that leads an individual to misinterpret reality because the thought is exaggerated or irrational[1]. These distorted thoughts play a role in the development or continuation of psychological conditions like depression and anxiety and can cause people to experience problems with their emotions, relationships, and overall functioning. Why do our brains lead us to have distorted thoughts? Aren’t they meant to safeguard us?
The answer lies within the complex realm of evolutionary psychology. Our brains are indeed built to protect us, continuously scanning our surroundings to assess for potential dangers. However, because our thinking patterns have evolved from primitive origins, our brains often provide us with thoughts that it believes are most protective and essential for our safety, when in reality they may not be so. If we think about the protective parts of our brain (the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and brainstem to name a few), these areas represent the most ancient aspects of our evolution. Similar to our aging population of humans, these ancient brain parts possess a wisdom that surpasses the newer, less developed regions of the brain, but they might not be as attuned to modern-day demands as some of the more recently evolved parts of the brain (like the neocortex or prefrontal cortex, for example). This is why our brains are constantly seeking out negative or unhelpful ways of thinking; the more alert and aware we are are to our brain’s perceived dangers around us, the safer we will be (it thinks!). But, what if our ancient parts of our brains are being oversensitive and leading to more stress, anxiety, or depression? That’s where cognitive distortions come in.
A cognitive distortion is kind of like a smoke alarm going off in the kitchen while you’re cooking, when there isn’t actually a dangerous fire. Sure, there’s smoke in the kitchen that comes from cooking that deliciously seared steak, but is your house in danger of becoming engulfed in flames? It’s very unlikely, but your smoke alarm definitely thinks so! This is very similar to the thoughts we have that lead to cognitive distortions. They are basically an overly sensitive alarm in our minds telling us to believe something that isn’t true or helpful to us, that eventually leads to us experiencing emotional distress.
Cognitive distortions can take many forms, but you can generally identify that you’re experiencing them by noticing if the thoughts seem to fall into any of the following categories:
Mental Filtering
This happens when you tend to filter out all the positive aspects of a situation and highlight the negative to prove it’s more true.
Example: You do poorly on one math test and then believe you are always going to be bad at math, even though you got a perfect score on the test before.
Black or White Thinking
These kinds of thoughts cause us to believe that things are one way or another way with no grey areas or middle ground. This can mean placing people or situations in categories that are rigid and don’t allow for the nuance of the human experience.
Example: A parent believing they must be a “terrible” parent because they got frustrated with their child, not allowing themselves to be human and to have emotions that are hard to control at times.
Overgeneralization
This is when someone will see the most recent (negative) part of a situation and then predict that only negative experiences are going to follow.
Example: After going on a bad date, assuming that all dates you go on in the future will be equally as bad.
Jumping to Conclusions
This one may be self-explanatory, but it basically means assuming something is going to happen or is happening that we have no evidence for.
Example: Believing that everyone you met at a party hated you and does not want to be friends with you in the future.
Catastrophizing
This cognitive distortion involves thinking that the world is going to end, or that the absolute worst thing you can think of is going to happen as a result of a situation.
Example: “Because I made a mistake at work, I am going to lose my job, my home, and my family and be living on the streets!”
Personalization
This happens when you assume that everything someone does is meant to be an attack on you personally or seeing yourself as the cause of an experience you have nothing to do with.
Example: You notice your friend seems irritated and immediately believe they are mad at you and no longer want to be friends with you, when it’s possible that they may be upset about something else.
Should’ing Yourself
This is when you use the word “should” to indicate how others or yourself “should” be behaving or acting; this one is often used in the context of an unrealistic expectation that you have set for yourself or others.
Example: “I should be able to solve this problem on my own or I’m an idiot”.
Emotional Reasoning
When you use your emotions as evidence that something must be true.
Example: “I feel worried, so something bad must be about to happen”
Mind Reading
This one is also self-explanatory! It means that you believe you can read the mind of those around them and assume you know how someone else is feeling and why.
Example: “She totally thinks I am so awkward because I stumbled on my words just now. She’s never going to want to be my friend.”
Fortune Telling
This involves predicting that something bad will happen in the future with no evidence to prove that’s the case.
Example: “They haven’t texted me back, so they’re going to not want to be friends with me anymore for some reason”
These are just a few of the many ways that our brain can use cognitive distortions to impact the way we see, react, and respond to situations. So, how do we recognize when a thought is a distortion and when it is actually something to worry about? There are 5 simple steps that you can use to detect and manage cognitive distortions to experience improvement in your mood and behaviors over time!
5 Steps to Recognizing Cognitive Distortions
Step 1: Detection
The first step is to assessing the self-talk that you are having to detect whether or not it’s a distorted thought. Searching for evidence of whether or not the thought you are having is true or helpful to you is the first step to identifying whether or not a thought is distorted. If it is untrue, if there is no proof for the thought’s truthfulness, or if the thought is unhelpful, it is likely a distorted thought that can be reframed.
Step 2: Identify the Cognitive Distortion Trap
It can sometimes be helpful to identify which thinking trap your cognitive distortion may be related to, as this can help you to detect if faster and find a way to access a more true and helpful thought. For example, the thought, “I know I am going to fail this next math test” would likely be considered a fortune telling cognitive distortion, and if you know this, you can reframe your thought to something more true and helpful, like “I am worried that I may not do well on this test, but if I study as hard as I can, I am sure to do my best” is likely a more helpful thought that will get you the end result you are looking for.
Step 3: Think Outside Yourself
The third step is identifying whether or not this thought is something you would say to a close friend or loved one. Often, thoughts we tell ourselves are way harsher than thoughts you would say to someone you love, which is an indicator that it is a cognitive distortion! Recognizing this can help you to become kinder to yourself and recognize when thoughts are unproductive and unhelpful.
How to Manage Cognitive Distortions
Want to learn how to better manage unhelpful cognitive distortions? Talking to a therapist trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you recognize cognitive distortions, understand where they come from, and develop healthier, more balanced ways of thinking. Therapy provides tools to reduce anxiety, improve decision-making, and increase emotional resilience—so your thoughts stop controlling you, and you start taking control of your life
References
1. Helmond, Petra; Overbeek, Geertjan; Brugman, Daniel; Gibbs, John C. (2015). "A Meta-Analysis on Cognitive Distortions and Externalizing Problem Behavior" (PDF). Criminal Justice and Behavior. 42 (3): 245–262.
