As humans, we are hardwired to see what is wrong in the world around us, rather than what is right.
Evolutionarily speaking, thinking this way kept us safe and alive for thousands of years as we had to fight and forage for food and avoid predators in the wild.
But now that the human race has evolved, this predisposition to assume danger creates a negative bias, irrational thoughts, and polarized thinking (Sapmaz, 2023).
Our brains make connections between thoughts, ideas, actions, and consequences that may or may not be true. These connections and the predisposition to negative thinking also lead to negative moods and emotions, interfere with relationships, and can decrease motivation and productivity (Sapmaz, 2023).
Most of these faulty and negative thinking patterns can be classified into what we now call cognitive distortions. Let’s examine these in more detail.
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