Experts share impacts of cognitive distortions on mental well-being

Cognitive distortions are often negative thinking habits that may sink us into feelings of depression or anxiety. 

I've personally felt the weight of these distortions affecting how I think, feel, and act. I found myself often stuck in a few different types of distortions, including black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, should-ing, and fortune-telling, fuelling anxious thoughts and a sense of helplessness. 

Understanding what these distortions were became a crucial first step for me. Only when I became aware of their presence and learned why they surfaced for me could I begin to catch, check, and change my thoughts. 

To further unpack cognitive distortions, I engaged seven mental health experts who shared how these patterns affect our overall mental wellness.

Mental Health Experts on Cognitive Distortions

Types of Distortions

Cognitive distortions are patterns of biased or irrational thinking that can significantly impact an individual's mental health and well-being. Some examples of how these distortions can affect individuals include:

Negative Filtering involves filtering out the positive aspects of a situation and focusing solely on the negatives. It can lead to feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and a skewed perception of reality.

Catastrophizing involves magnifying the importance or severity of an event, expecting the worst possible outcome. This can lead to increased anxiety and stress, making it challenging for individuals to cope with everyday situations.

Overgeneralization involves making broad generalizations based on limited evidence. For instance, if one bad thing happens, a person may believe that everything will always go wrong. This can lead to feelings of helplessness and pessimism.

“All-or-Nothing Thinking” is a form of black-and-white thinking, where things are viewed as extreme—either perfect or a total failure. This can create unrealistic expectations and a sense of constant disappointment.

Personalization involves attributing an external event to oneself, even when there is no basis for it. For instance, blaming oneself for things outside of their control, leading to unnecessary guilt and self-blame.

Mind Reading is assuming what others are thinking with no evidence, often assuming the worst. This can lead to social anxiety and strained relationships because of misinterpretation of others' intentions.

Emotional Reasoning involves believing that feelings reflect reality. For example, if someone feels worthless, they might believe they truly are worthless. This can perpetuate negative self-perception and impact self-esteem.

“Should statements” involve having rigid rules about how oneself and others "should" behave. When these expectations are not met, it leads to frustration, disappointment, and increased stress.

These cognitive distortions can contribute to various mental health issues like depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulties in coping with everyday challenges.

Recognizing and challenging these distortions through cognitive-behavioral techniques can significantly improve one's well-being by promoting more balanced and realistic thinking patterns.

Rebbeca Lahann, Psy.D., Psychologist and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist
Spectrum Psychology and Wellness

Looking into Cognitive Distortions' Broad Impact

In my work, I often see distortions such as catastrophizing or jumping to conclusions result in greater symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Thinking the worst-case scenario or believing you know what will happen can exacerbate rumination, poor sleep, and avoidant behaviours, like withdrawing from others or procrastination. 

Distortions like discounting the positive can mean a greater vulnerability to imposter syndrome if you're unable to recognize or acknowledge aspects of a situation that point to strengths, progress, or reason to be hopeful.

Distorted thinking has incredible potential to shape our mood, relationships, work, and even physical health.

Peggy Loo, Licensed Psychologist
Manhattan Therapy Collective

Seeing the Dual Nature of Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive distortions can be either positive or negative. Positive cognitive distortions can have a positive impact on an individual's well-being, whereas negative cognitive distortions or irrational beliefs can have a significant negative impact on an individual's well-being. Negative thoughts can have a powerful impact on our mental and emotional well-being. 

For example, thinking "I'm not good enough" can amplify negative experiences and trigger feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and guilt. People who hold onto this kind of negative belief may unknowingly sabotage potential relationships or friendships, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. 

When negative thoughts take over, it becomes difficult to bounce back from challenges or setbacks. Distorted thinking can also hinder problem-solving and coping mechanisms, making it even more challenging to deal with adversity.

Dr. Jameca Woody Cooper, Clinical and Criminal Psychologist
Emergence Psychological Services

Contributing to a General Sense of Unhappiness

Cognitive distortions can contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, or a general sense of unhappiness. These unhelpful thinking styles can intensify negative emotions and reduce overall emotional well-being.

These mental distortions can also influence how individuals perceive and interact with others. For instance, someone who tends to have the unhelpful thinking style of mind-reading may consistently assume people will reject or criticize them. In turn, they are more likely to avoid social situations or withdraw from relationships, resulting in loneliness or isolation.

Nick Bach, Owner and Psychologist
Grace Psychological Services, LLC

Taking a Fact-Based Approach 

Cognitive distortions are not just negative thoughts; they are exaggerated patterns of thought that our minds create in order to convince us to believe negative things about ourselves and our reality that are not based on facts. 

Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected. As a result, when we treat these thoughts as facts, we may perceive ourselves and act in ways based on faulty assumptions, and if we engage too frequently in negative patterns, our mental health can be adversely affected. 

For example, catastrophizing, where minor issues are inflated into major crises, can lead to overwhelming stress and anxiety, diminishing our ability to cope effectively with day-to-day challenges. Questions like "What if?" or "What if not?" can make us jump to the worst possible conclusion in every scenario and lead us to question everybody's motives. This heightened state of alarm can disrupt emotional balance, impairing both mental health and physical well-being.

If I had to give one piece of advice in order to fight these disruptive thoughts, it would be this: Stop reacting to other people's motives and start reacting to the actual facts.

Zoe Fragou, Organizational Psychologist
Zoe Fragou

Challenging All-or-Nothing Thinking

Cognitive distortions can be maladaptive thinking patterns that specifically lead to an increase in anxiety.

One common cognitive distortion is all-or-nothing thinking. When individuals have thoughts such as "Everything bad happens to me" or "I can never do anything right," there is little room for a gray area.

An important focus to combat these thoughts is to find evidence against these extremes, which can minimize anxiety when we can look at and highlight the exceptions!

Taylor Chodash, Mental Health Counsellor, LP

Viewing Cognitive Distortions and Self-Perception

Cognitive distortions can affect self-perception, which is a key factor in one's self-esteem. For example, in the case of body dysmorphia—wherein there is dysfunction in how one perceives oneself (e.g., thinking one is "fat" when they are okay)—one may develop insecurities due to low self-esteem. 

This may also lead to a cascade of other concomitant health issues, such as anorexia, bulimia, or having an unhealthy relationship with food and/or exercise. It's difficult to maintain a good sense of self and well-being if you have such distortion in the way you think and perceive your body image.

Eric Chaghouri, Psychiatrist and Medical Director
Lucid Wellness Center

Shifting Cognitive Distortions for Better Well-Being

In a nutshell, how do these thinking glitches impact our well-being? The mental health experts have spoken, and it's clear: cognitive distortions are no small players in the game of our mental health. From making us see the worst in everything to fuelling anxiety and depression, these thinking habits shape our emotions and actions.

But here's the silver lining—based on my personal experience, knowing and understanding these distortions is a step to better understanding our minds. It's the key to catching and changing these tricky thoughts, paving the way for a more balanced and resilient mental space.

In the journey to improving our well-being, awareness is our compass, and understanding is the light that guides us toward a healthier mindset.