How to Stop Jumping to Conclusions

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionHow People Jump to ConclusionsEffectsExamplesCognitive ReframingHow to Stop Jumping to Conclusions

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Table of Contents

Definition

How People Jump to Conclusions

Effects

Examples

Cognitive Reframing

How to Stop Jumping to Conclusions

Close

Jumping to conclusions is a type of cognitive distortion that involves making unwarranted assumptions based on limited information. It is a common issue for many people.This type of thinking allows people to make decisions quickly, but it also means that these decisions are quite often wrong.

At a GlanceJumping to conclusions can make it difficult to make good decisions and negatively impact relationships. Keep reading to learn about the reasons why people tend to jump to conclusions. We’ll also explore strategies that can help people move past this type of negative thinking pattern.

At a Glance

Jumping to conclusions can make it difficult to make good decisions and negatively impact relationships. Keep reading to learn about the reasons why people tend to jump to conclusions. We’ll also explore strategies that can help people move past this type of negative thinking pattern.

What Jumping to Conclusions Means

Jumping to conclusions is a type of negative thinking pattern known as a cognitive distortion.

What Is a Cognitive Distortion?Cognitive distortionsare habitual and faulty ways of thinking. They happen to everyone, but they can be particularly common among people who struggle withdepressionand anxiety.

What Is a Cognitive Distortion?

Cognitive distortionsare habitual and faulty ways of thinking. They happen to everyone, but they can be particularly common among people who struggle withdepressionand anxiety.

Theories ofcognitive therapyclaim that we are what we think we are. When a person is jumping to conclusions, they are drawing negative conclusions with little or no evidence for their assumptions.

Researchers suggest this type of thinking error is common, but it can come with considerable costs. In one study, researchers found that people prone to jumping to conclusions are also more susceptible to other cognitive distortions. They were more likely to make decisions based on scant information and were overconfident in their choices.

Jumping to conclusions can occur in two ways: mind-reading and fortune-telling. These both involve making assumptions, either about what other people think or about future events.

Mind-Reading

When a person is “mind-reading,” they are assuming that others are negatively evaluating them or have bad intentions for them.This assumes that a person can tell what others are thinking without having any evidence to back up those negative assumptions.

People who engage in mind-reading assume that they know how others feel about them.

Fortune-Telling

When a person is “fortune-telling,” they are predicting a negative future outcome or deciding that situations will turn out for the worse before the situation has even occurred.

This can have a negative effect on behavior. Because people assume that the future is already foretold, they feel there is no point in trying to change it, which has a detrimental impact onmotivationand performance.

Recap

Effects of Jumping to Conclusions

Jumping to conclusions can have a number of detrimental effects. For one, it can createconflicts in relationships. If you are always jumping to negative conclusions about other people, it can lead to arguments and other problems.

Another issue is that it can negatively affect how you think of yourself and contribute to feelings of anxiety. People whoexperience anxietyand depression sometimes jump to conclusions in ways that worsen their symptoms.

For example, when a person with anxiety assumes that other people are judging them, it causes them to feel even more anxious. If a person with depression jumps to conclusions and assumes that things will never improve, it can make their symptoms of sadness and hopelessness even worse.

RecapJumping to conclusions makes it difficult to see situations clearly and increases the risk of making poor decisions. This can negatively affect your relationships, hurt your confidence, and reduce motivation.

Jumping to conclusions makes it difficult to see situations clearly and increases the risk of making poor decisions. This can negatively affect your relationships, hurt your confidence, and reduce motivation.

Examples of Jumping to Conclusions

In order to understand how jumping to conclusions works, it can be helpful to look at some examples of this type of thinking. A few examples of how a person may be jumping to conclusions:

In each of these examples, people are jumping to conclusions. They assume that they are able to know what other people are thinking or that they can predict the outcome of events.

How to Reframe Your Conclusions

Reframinghow you think about situations is one way that you can minimize jumping to conclusions.Consider how some people in the earlier examples might use this strategy to reframe their thinking and arrive at more accurate judgments.

Reassess

In one of the earlier examples, Diane’s negative thoughts are not based on anything factual. She can choose to believe that her coworkers respect her.

What evidence does Diane have that they look down on her or that this project will fail? She can also tell herself that she will do her very best on this project and if a mistake is made, she will learn from it.

Consider Alternatives

Aidan has learned to successfully cope with panic disorder. However, he is jumping to conclusions about what others think and the outcome of future events.

In this example, Aidan is not basing these thoughts on any facts. Rather, he is “mind-reading” with his coworkers and “fortune-telling” with the outcome of his job.

Most people are focused on their own lives. Aidan’s coworkers may be more concerned about themselves and don’t care to scrutinize Aidan’s anxiety.

Could it be possible that some of his coworkers would feel empathetic toward Aidan for the amount of stress he has been under? Can others potentially relate to Aidan’s issues with panic and anxiety?

While jumping to conclusions is an extremely common cognitive distortion, there are things that you can do to stop engaging in this type of thinking as often. Steps you can take that may help:

When you are faced with a decision, you might wonder if you should just go with your gut (which may involve jumping to conclusions) or take the time to consider every option. According to some research, giving yourself a little extra time to study your options and make a decision can help you make better decisions and avoid significant mistakes.

RecapThere are strategies you can use to help stop jumping to conclusions. Getting all the facts, challenging your assumptions, asking questions, and shifting your perspective can all be helpful ways to improve your thinking.

There are strategies you can use to help stop jumping to conclusions. Getting all the facts, challenging your assumptions, asking questions, and shifting your perspective can all be helpful ways to improve your thinking.

Keep in Mind

When you find yourself mind-reading and fortune-telling, remind yourself that you are jumping to conclusions. Could it be possible that there are other explanations that make more sense?

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8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johnstone KM, Chen J, Balzan RP.An investigation into the jumping-to-conclusions bias in social anxiety.Conscious Cogn. 2017;48:55–65. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.10.012Rnic K, Dozois DJ, Martin RA.Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression.Eur J Psychol. 2016;12(3):348–362. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118Jolley S, Thompson C, Hurley J, et al.Jumping to the wrong conclusions? An investigation of the mechanisms of reasoning errors in delusions.Psychiatry Res. 2014;219(2):275–282. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.05.051Sanchez C, Dunning D.Jumping to conclusions: Implications for reasoning errors, false belief, knowledge corruption, and impeded learning.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2021;120(3):789-815. doi:10.1037/pspp0000375da Luz FQ, Sainsbury A, Hay P, et al.Early maladaptive schemas and cognitive distortions in adults with morbid obesity: Relationships with mental health status.Behav Sci (Basel). 2017;7(1):10. doi:10.3390/bs7010010Wang B, Zhao Y, Lu X, Qin B.Cognitive distortion based explainable depression detection and analysis technologies for the adolescent internet users on social media.Front Public Health. 2023;10:1045777. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1045777Curtiss JE, Levine DS, Ander I, Baker AW.Cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety and stress-related disorders.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2021;19(2):184-189. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20200045Lucas BJ, Berry Z, Giurge LM, Chugh D.A longer shortlist increases the consideration of female candidates in male-dominant domains.Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5(6):736-742. doi:10.1038/s41562-020-01033-0

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johnstone KM, Chen J, Balzan RP.An investigation into the jumping-to-conclusions bias in social anxiety.Conscious Cogn. 2017;48:55–65. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.10.012Rnic K, Dozois DJ, Martin RA.Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression.Eur J Psychol. 2016;12(3):348–362. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118Jolley S, Thompson C, Hurley J, et al.Jumping to the wrong conclusions? An investigation of the mechanisms of reasoning errors in delusions.Psychiatry Res. 2014;219(2):275–282. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.05.051Sanchez C, Dunning D.Jumping to conclusions: Implications for reasoning errors, false belief, knowledge corruption, and impeded learning.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2021;120(3):789-815. doi:10.1037/pspp0000375da Luz FQ, Sainsbury A, Hay P, et al.Early maladaptive schemas and cognitive distortions in adults with morbid obesity: Relationships with mental health status.Behav Sci (Basel). 2017;7(1):10. doi:10.3390/bs7010010Wang B, Zhao Y, Lu X, Qin B.Cognitive distortion based explainable depression detection and analysis technologies for the adolescent internet users on social media.Front Public Health. 2023;10:1045777. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1045777Curtiss JE, Levine DS, Ander I, Baker AW.Cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety and stress-related disorders.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2021;19(2):184-189. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20200045Lucas BJ, Berry Z, Giurge LM, Chugh D.A longer shortlist increases the consideration of female candidates in male-dominant domains.Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5(6):736-742. doi:10.1038/s41562-020-01033-0

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Johnstone KM, Chen J, Balzan RP.An investigation into the jumping-to-conclusions bias in social anxiety.Conscious Cogn. 2017;48:55–65. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.10.012Rnic K, Dozois DJ, Martin RA.Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression.Eur J Psychol. 2016;12(3):348–362. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118Jolley S, Thompson C, Hurley J, et al.Jumping to the wrong conclusions? An investigation of the mechanisms of reasoning errors in delusions.Psychiatry Res. 2014;219(2):275–282. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.05.051Sanchez C, Dunning D.Jumping to conclusions: Implications for reasoning errors, false belief, knowledge corruption, and impeded learning.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2021;120(3):789-815. doi:10.1037/pspp0000375da Luz FQ, Sainsbury A, Hay P, et al.Early maladaptive schemas and cognitive distortions in adults with morbid obesity: Relationships with mental health status.Behav Sci (Basel). 2017;7(1):10. doi:10.3390/bs7010010Wang B, Zhao Y, Lu X, Qin B.Cognitive distortion based explainable depression detection and analysis technologies for the adolescent internet users on social media.Front Public Health. 2023;10:1045777. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1045777Curtiss JE, Levine DS, Ander I, Baker AW.Cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety and stress-related disorders.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2021;19(2):184-189. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20200045Lucas BJ, Berry Z, Giurge LM, Chugh D.A longer shortlist increases the consideration of female candidates in male-dominant domains.Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5(6):736-742. doi:10.1038/s41562-020-01033-0

Johnstone KM, Chen J, Balzan RP.An investigation into the jumping-to-conclusions bias in social anxiety.Conscious Cogn. 2017;48:55–65. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.10.012

Rnic K, Dozois DJ, Martin RA.Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression.Eur J Psychol. 2016;12(3):348–362. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118

Jolley S, Thompson C, Hurley J, et al.Jumping to the wrong conclusions? An investigation of the mechanisms of reasoning errors in delusions.Psychiatry Res. 2014;219(2):275–282. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.05.051

Sanchez C, Dunning D.Jumping to conclusions: Implications for reasoning errors, false belief, knowledge corruption, and impeded learning.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2021;120(3):789-815. doi:10.1037/pspp0000375

da Luz FQ, Sainsbury A, Hay P, et al.Early maladaptive schemas and cognitive distortions in adults with morbid obesity: Relationships with mental health status.Behav Sci (Basel). 2017;7(1):10. doi:10.3390/bs7010010

Wang B, Zhao Y, Lu X, Qin B.Cognitive distortion based explainable depression detection and analysis technologies for the adolescent internet users on social media.Front Public Health. 2023;10:1045777. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1045777

Curtiss JE, Levine DS, Ander I, Baker AW.Cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety and stress-related disorders.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2021;19(2):184-189. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20200045

Lucas BJ, Berry Z, Giurge LM, Chugh D.A longer shortlist increases the consideration of female candidates in male-dominant domains.Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5(6):736-742. doi:10.1038/s41562-020-01033-0

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