What are cognitive distortions?

Cognitive distortions are systematic errors in thinking that often don’t follow logic.¹ They can make you believe negative things even when facts suggest otherwise. These distorted thought patterns show up especially in stressful situations.²

In some ways, cognitive distortions are faulty filters. They twist how you see yourself, other people, and situations. The tricky part is they happen automatically, often without you even realizing it.

Why your brain gets it wrong

Your brain uses shortcuts to process information quickly. Usually, this helps you. But sometimes these shortcuts lead to flawed conclusions.

Negative thinking patterns often come from past experiences, stress, or ongoing anxiety. When you’re anxious or overwhelmed, you’re more likely to fall into these patterns. This creates a cycle where negative feelings trigger more distorted thoughts, which then create more negative feelings.³

Common cognitive distortions

There are many types of cognitive distortions that affect how people think.⁴ Some common ones include:

All-or-nothing thinking, in which you see things in extremes, often as completely good or completely bad. There’s little to no middle ground. This may look like getting a B on a test and feeling like a failure because it isn’t the A you were aiming for.

Overgeneralization happens when you take one bad event and turn it into a pattern or rule about your life. You may use words like “always” or “never” in the thoughts that accompany it. For example, you might experience one rejection and think “This always happens, I never get what I want.”

Mind reading happens when you assume you know what others are thinking or intending without evidence to support it. For example, you may think that a friend is angry at you because they haven’t called you in a few days when they’re actually just busy with other things.

Fortune telling involves predicting bad outcomes with no real reason. You may predict things like “This presentation is going to be a disaster” even if you worked hard and past presentations have been a success.

Catastrophizing happens when you jump to worst-case scenarios. One small mistake at work makes you think you’ll get fired. Manageable situations may feel unbearable or impossible to overcome.

Emotional reasoning is when you make decisions based on feelings instead of facts. If you feel anxious about something, you conclude that it must be dangerous. Your emotions feel true and forceful, so you focus more on them and less on objective evidence.

Labeling happen when you assign yourself or others fixed labels based on isolated events or behaviors. “I made a mistake” becomes “I’m a failure.” Rather than recognizing actions as just one piece of a person’s identity, you make broad judgements about what they mean.

Minimizing is when you dismiss or undervalue good experiences or your own strengths. If you accomplish something, you may think “This must not be as hard as people think if I can do it.” If someone compliments you, you may think they’re just being polite.

Should statements involve focusing on rigid rules about how things “should” or “must” be. You feel pressure to live up to these rules, and falling short creates feelings like guilt, shame, or defeat. When others break them, you feel frustrated even if it’s understandable why they acted the way they did.

Personalization and self-blame involve assuming you’re responsible for bad things, even when you’re not. For instance, if a friend seems upset, you instantly think you must be the reason. This can be especially harmful in relationships where self-blame prevents you from seeing who’s responsible for certain patterns.

Recognizing these patterns in yourself? It can be hard to identify negative patterns in thinking in yourself, especially when you’re actively caught up in them. A therapist can help you identify which distortions show up most in your life and teach you practical skills to challenge them. You don’t have to manage overwhelming thoughts or emotions alone.

How cognitive distortions impact mental health

These thinking patterns aren’t harmless. Evidence shows that distorted thinking patterns are deeply connected to mental health problems in adults, particularly anxiety and depression.⁵

In depression, distortions have been shown to reduce healthy coping skills and increase unhealthy patterns.⁶ People with more depressive symptoms tend to expect negative outcomes and have less flexibility in their thinking.⁷

Cognitive distortions also play a critical role in loneliness, which affects millions of people worldwide. The most common distortions in lonely individuals are essentializing (believing “I’m just the kind of person who tends to be lonely”), mind reading (assuming others think negatively about you), and catastrophizing (viewing loneliness as unbearable).⁸

These distortions can create a harmful loop. When lonely people believe others are rejecting them or that they’re destined to be alone, they often withdraw further, making loneliness worse. Research shows that the relationship between loneliness and stress is also directly linked to these three distortions.

In these and many other ways, distortions have the power to reinforce unhelpful patterns and make situations feel unmanageable.

How to spot and challenge distorted thinking

The good news is that in some cases you can learn to identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns on your own. “Cognitive restructuring” is a set of techniques taught in many forms of psychotherapy that helps you spot automatic thoughts, look at evidence, and consider other explanations.⁹

Practical steps for building these skills include:

Practice noticing your thoughts. Mindfulness asks you to notice thoughts without judging or feeling controlled by them. Even a few minutes of mindfulness practice daily can boost your self-awareness.

Record your thoughts. Use an app or write down your thoughts in a journal so you can examine them. These records can help you identify any repeating thoughts that may be keeping you stuck. The goal is to learn how to check your own thinking and notice patterns.

Ask questions. Treat your thoughts as guesses, not facts. Ask yourself:

• What’s the evidence?
• What are other explanations?
• What are the realistic consequences?

Practice self-compassion. Treat yourself the way you’d treat a good friend. When you catch distorted thinking, respond with understanding instead of harsh judgment.

Avoid extremes. Balanced thinking doesn’t mean forcing yourself to be positive. It means giving yourself the chance to seeing situations from different angles. Instead of “I’m terrible at my job,” it’s okay to say “I messed up this project, but I’ve done good work on others.”

These techniques can be helpful starting points, but they may be challenging to follow on your own, especially if you’re feeling distressed or overwhelmed. Working with a trained therapist may be a better option for anyone who needs additional support, guidance, or structure, especially when first learning these skills.

CBT for cognitive distortions

If cognitive distortions are impacting your daily life and mental health, it may help to work with a mental health professional who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT is an evidence-based treatment that has been shown to effectively manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, personality disorders, and other mental health concerns.¹⁰ Treatment typically involves 8 to 12 weekly sessions, though the actual number varies widely depending on the person and concern.

In sessions, you and your therapist work together to spot negative thoughts and examine evidence for and against them. Sessions generally include mood checks, goal setting, reviewing homework, and practicing new skills. Together, you and your therapist will examine how your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions shape each other and what needs to change for you to feel better.

Studies show that as you change distorted thoughts, your mood begins to improve.¹¹ And as your mood improves, it helps change more distorted thoughts. This can create a slow upward spiral of improvement.

If you’re ready to take the next step, browse our therapist directory to find a mental health professional near you.