Introduction
Some thoughts distort reality. Spotting them improves mood, behavior, and relationships.
Fortune Telling
When we predict that things will go wrong, we neglect the truth: The future is uncertain.
Catastrophizing
We often magnify molehills into mountains. Probing your sense of scale brings relief.
Discounting the Positive
The mind selectively weights the negative. Correct the scale by giving yourself due credit.
Mind Reading
We don't know others' thoughts. When we act like we do, we mistake assumption for fact.
Protective Worrying
Anxiety can feel like vigilance, but it doesn't provide safety, and it robs us of peace.
Worry Blinders
We tend to focus on threats. Resilience comes from recognizing our ability to cope.
Blame Bias
We explain away our own faults, but not others'. This isn't fair—or good for relationships.
Losing to Win
When we insist on being right, we risk forfeiting what matters more than momentary victory.
Give Everyone a Break
For a day, give everyone the benefit of the doubt, whether or not they seem to deserve it.
Shoulding
Moralized judgments create pressure. Personal preferences create motivation and acceptance.
Payback Illusion
Revenge seems to promise justice and satisfaction, but only the high road delivers these.
Awfulizing Discomfort
Unpleasant experiences are usually more bearable than our automatic reactions suggest.
The Speed Trap
"Rushing tends to produce exactly what you're trying to avoid: stress or disappointment."
Chore Aversion
Routine tasks rarely are burdens. Our associations often make them feel burdensome.
Entitlement
When you expect little, what occurs is often surprising—and cause for gratitude.
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Changing How You Think
One of modern psychology’s best-established insights is also one of its most consequential: We don’t perceive reality directly, but through mental filters that often warp our judgments in ways that cause needless suffering.
We catastrophize small setbacks, assume we know what others are thinking, and predict disasters that never arrive. But in this new series, psychologist Seth Gillihan shows us how to identify these and many other cognitive distortions, and to replace them with more rational, more empowering interpretations.
With clearer thoughts about ourselves, others, and the world, says Gillihan, we discover that much of our worry stems from imaginary causes—and that life's inevitable real challenges are often more manageable than they first appear.
to listen to all 16 sessions in this series.
Artwork by Alicia Bock