15 Cognitive Distortions and How to Challenge These Negative Thoughts

Have you ever been told that you think in “black and white” or that you jump to the worst possible conclusions? These negative thinking patterns are called cognitive distortions. 

Cognitive distortions can develop in childhood or adulthood, often during times of stress. Most people experience cognitive distortions at some point. But fortunately there are strategies you can use to overcome them and turn your negative thoughts into less distressing ones. 

Types of cognitive distortions and examples

Cognitive distortions can crop up in many different ways. Here are some common examples.

1. Mind reading

Mind reading is when you assume you know what someone else is thinking. Often, mind reading leads to believing that others have negative thoughts about you. For example, you might eat alone at a restaurant and think everyone feels sorry for you. 

2. Catastrophizing 

This happens when you make the worst possible prediction about the future based on little to no evidence. You may think, “I bet my headaches mean I have brain cancer.”

3. All-or-nothing thinking

There’s a reason all-or-nothing thinking is also called black-and-white thinking. This type of thinking has two extreme conclusions and doesn't consider a range of possibilities. Examples include, “My partner forgot to call me. They must not love me.” Or, “It’s raining today. My vacation is ruined.”

4. Emotional reasoning

Emotional reasoning happens when you believe your emotions reflect reality and use them to guide decisions or draw conclusions. For example, you make a mistake; you feel bad about the mistake, and you feel bad toward yourself for making a mistake. Based on those feelings, you conclude: “I’m a stupid fool.”

5. Labeling

When you assign a label to yourself or someone else, you focus on past behavior. You may conclude, for example, that someone is lazy because they showed up late to work one morning. Or you tell yourself you’re irresponsible because you forgot where you left your keys.

6. Mental filtering 

Have you ever enjoyed an entire evening with a friend, but they said one thing that hurt you, and it became all you could think about? That’s mental filtering. You dismiss all the good between you and your friend and focus on the bad.

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7. Overgeneralization

Overgeneralization is when you take something that happened one time and apply it to all other events. Say you don’t get a job offer after one interview and you start believing you’ll never get a job. You’re overgeneralizing about your job prospects.

8. Personalization 

When you personalize something, you believe it’s all your fault. You might blame yourself for your partner’s infidelity or your teenager’s rebellious behavior rather than acknowledge the multiple factors that contributed to these things. 

9. ‘Should’ statements

People who make “should” statements believe things are supposed to happen a certain way. You might say to yourself, “I should lose weight to feel better about myself,” or “They should stay quiet and let me do all the talking.”

10. Minimizing the positive

Do you dismiss good things that happen to you? If you won an award or a promotion, did you think someone else deserved it? If so, those are examples of minimizing the positive.

11. Fortune telling 

Fortune telling is similar to catastrophizing. It’s when you think future events will turn out badly, even though there’s no evidence to think so. “I don’t think I’ll ever get a grip on my anxiety” or “I’m probably going to mess up my speech” are examples.

12. Control fallacies

A control fallacy can show up in two ways. You may either believe you have no control or you have complete control over your situation. 

Someone with control fallacies may believe they are helpless. They may think they’re stuck in a miserable job with no way out. 

On the other hand, some people with control fallacies believe they have complete control and are responsible for everyone else’s happiness. They might blame themselves if something goes wrong at an office meeting or family dinner. 

13. Fallacy of fairness

People who believe that all things in life should be based on equality and fairness may resent what they consider to be unfair. This is the fallacy of fairness. They may resent people who make more money, have happier marriages, or live in nicer homes than them because they believe they deserve those things, too. They may also resent people who aren’t “punished” for “wrongdoing.”

14. Blaming

Blaming happens when you wrongly assign blame to yourself or others when things go wrong. Examples include blaming a cop for your speeding ticket or blaming your doctor for your high blood pressure.  

15. Always being right

Always believing you’re right and everyone else is wrong is a cognitive distortion. This thinking pattern doesn’t consider other people’s thoughts or ideas. You make proving you’re right a priority rather than looking for the truth or listening to someone else’s viewpoints.

What causes cognitive distortion?

We don’t know for sure how people develop cognitive distortions. For some, these negative thinking patterns could have started in childhood. A child whose parent frequently labeled other people might grow into an adult who labels others. 

For other people, the negative thinking patterns could be tied to depression. Some experts believe distorted thinking is the root cause of depression. Cognitive distortions are also common among those who have anxiety disorders such as social anxiety.

One study suggests people may develop cognitive distortions to cope with stressful situations. The longer a person is faced with the stressor, the more likely they are to develop unhelpful ways of thinking.

Keep in mind the occasional cognitive distortion is normal for most people. Thinking things like “I should have run the meeting” or “Why do they have all the luck?” are all part of human nature. They become a problem when they happen repeatedly rather than every once in a while. They can also become a problem when they cause significant distress.

Why are cognitive distortions harmful?

Cognitive distortions can impact your physical and mental health by:

• Raising stress and anxiety levels

• Worsening depression with thoughts of helplessness and hopelessness

• Making it harder to manage chronic pain

• Increasing loneliness and reducing life satisfaction 

• Raising the risk of overeating

How do you stop cognitive distortions?

Cognitive behavioral therapy strategies can help you overcome cognitive distortions. Here are a few to get you started:

• Reframing: When you reframe, you change a negative thought into a more realistic one. Instead of thinking, “I’ll never get over my breakup,” say, “Some days may be hard, but eventually they’ll get easier, and I’ll move on with my life.”

• Journaling: Write down negative thoughts and then look back at what you wrote. Ask yourself, “What story am I telling?” Challenge any cognitive distortions you identify.

• Looking for evidence: Consider that your thinking may not fit the facts. For example, if you think someone else deserved your promotion, remember your hard work, extra hours, and successful projects. Give yourself permission to embrace your promotion.

• Countering: Countering involves working towards a more balanced and flexible way of thinking. Say you tend to catastrophize. Consider what would happen in a worst-case scenario. Then, remember similar situations and how you managed and recovered in the past.

• Talking compassionately to yourself: Sometimes we’re our worst critics. Instead of getting down on yourself, talk to yourself like you would a friend. If a friend said, “I’m always screwing up,” you’d probably point out all the ways they don’t screw up. Do the same to yourself. This is also called self-compassion.

When to talk to a mental health specialist

If you think you’re struggling with cognitive distortions and they’re affecting your physical or mental health, you may want to seek professional help. A mental health therapist or counselor can help you process unhealthy thinking patterns and recommend treatment.

Often, cognitive distortions are treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on changing negative thinking patterns. Many therapists use CBT to help their clients with cognitive distortions. 

To find a CBT therapist near you:

• Ask your primary healthcare provider for a referral.

• Use Psychology Today’s search tool. 

• Check out Open Path’s search tool.

• Find an in-network therapist if you have health insurance.

• Contact your local mental health center.

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Written by:

Ana Gascon

Ana Gascon has over 15 years of writing and editing experience, with 8 years in health and medical content work. She is a versatile health and medical content creator who writes about acute conditions, chronic diseases, mental health challenges, and health equity.

Edited by:

Renée Fabian, MA

Renée Fabian is the senior pet health editor at GoodRx. She’s worked for nearly 10 years as a journalist and editor across a wide range of health and well-being topics.

Reviewed by:

India B. Gomez, PhD

India B. Gomez, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with a certificate in Latin American Family Therapy. She completed her doctoral education at the California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant International University.

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