7 Common Thinking Errors All Humans Struggle With

This is a list of common thinking errors people tend to use, a lot of times subconsciously.

But with practice and an open heart and mind, we can all actively work on these to become better human beings.

I have known about the different types of thinking errors for many years but still catch myself struggling with them from time to time. But when I do, I catch it and find a way to correct my thinking.

It takes practice at first, but then your mind will naturally start redirecting your thoughts to more positive ones on its own.

1. Emotional Reasoning-

"Because I feel it, it must be true."

We base facts off our feelings, even if there is other evidence suggesting the opposite.

I really struggle with this one sometimes, because I am an empath and feel things so strongly I tend to make my feeling the facts. So I always do an exercise called Fact Checking which is to gather the facts that I see outside my feelings. I will literally write a list of what I feel is going on, and the facts I have to support it, and the facts I have that oppose it. It's really helpful to sort out any forms of emotional reasoning. You would be surprised at what you find sometimes!

2. Fallacy Of Change-

"Others will change to suit my needs and expectations."

This ties into the feelings that our happiness depends on other people.

This one can be a tough one to accept, especially because we tend to create an idea of people in our heads when we first meet them, and if they do not stick to that idea we get upset and even claim things like they are changing when really that's who they were in the beginning, we just created them different in our heads. Relying on people for our happiness, especially based on our expectations is a sure road to disappointment!

3. Control Fallacies-

"I have all the control or none."

This is very black and white thinking that is pretty self-explanatory.

Another one I have struggled with greatly, on both extreems. It was hard for me to let go of thinking I had control of certain things, while also not taking responsibility for other things that were totally in my control. Like how I choose to repond to people and their behaviors toward me. Ask yourself "What in this situation is in my control?" Or "what parts of this situation do I have no control over?" and base your next actions off of those facts (Not off your emotional reasoning!).

4. Confirmation Bias-

"I interpret and believe information based on my existing beliefs"

This is the exact opposite of out of the box thinking.

It is when we only see the world through the lense of beliefs we have already had engrained in us and not accepting other possibilities. This is dangerous thinking because it never gives us the chance to learn or get out of our comfort zone. And there is so much out there to learn! Let your mind be a sponge, not a rock. Be open minded while collecting info. It's amazing what you could learn!

5. Catastrophising-

"I made a mistake so it's the end of the world."

This one is where we totally blow something out of proportion.

I would say this is a super common thinking error. It is so easy for humans to make a big deal out of things, especially about ourselves. I'll automatically catch myself pretty quickly when I start to do this. So I have to take a step back and I let myself breathe for a minute while I assess the situation. Control Fallacies also can play into this. So that's how I resolve this state of mind is by realizing how much I can actually control in the situation (By Fact Checking), and then just focusing my energy into those parts.

6- Jumping to conclusions-

"I already have all the information."

But we usually don't, right?

We assume to know the truth without again, looking at all the facts. I talked about this earlier also with Fallacy Of Change, we assume we know who people are, and their intentions when really we have more information about the situation that we need to collect. This is where you can also get caught in Confirmation Bias of assuming you know based on feelings and old beliefs.

A lot of these intertwine and so we really have to be aware of our thought process at all times and make sure we aren't slipping into these unhealthy thought patterns. Be willing to admit you don't know everything, and give yourself time to collect more information before making an ass out of yourself.

7. Splitting/Dichotomus Thinking-

"It's all really good, or really bad."

Here is where we have a hard time finding balance between the good and bad in our perception of things, and we tend to instead see it in one extreem or the other.

Say you just meet a person and they seem pretty decent, but then they say or do something you dislike. It is easy for us to lean toward the belief that that is just not a good person, instead of realizing maybe they made a mistake or just have a different opinion. Or you're in a realtionship where you're telling yourself how great your partner is but you're really just ignoring the ways they are hurting you. When we are put in certain situations that are uncomfortable to us we can slip into this false thinking without even realizing it's happenening. I can't say it enough... Fact Check!

Be brutally honest with yourself about the situations you find yourself in and how you are responding. Be willing to admit when you're in the wrong and course correct. I promise you it will make you a happier person in the end, and it gets easier the more you practice!

I hope this helps someone out in some way. I thank you for your support! And please remember You're not alone!