Emotional Reasoning
Emotional Reasoning
Emotional reasoning is judging reality based on your emotions. It's like thinking, "I feel anxious, so it must be dangerous."
Details
Emotional reasoning is a cognitive distortion where you use your emotional state as evidence for objective facts.
"I feel anxious, so it must be dangerous." "I feel depressed, so my life must be a mess." When emotions are intense, these feel like truths — but emotions aren't facts.
Emotions are important signals, but they don't accurately reflect reality. Try telling yourself, "I'm feeling this emotion right now, but the facts might be different."
💡 Real-Life Example
"When you feel anxious and conclude that 'something must be wrong'" — that's emotional reasoning.
This content is for educational purposes and does not replace professional medical diagnosis.