Key Takeaways
- Jumping to conclusions means making decisions with little evidence, and it often leads to wrong assumptions.
- To stop jumping to conclusions, gather all the facts, ask questions, and try seeing the situation from another perspective.
Jumping to conclusions often happens in two ways: mind-reading and fortune-telling. Both involve making assumptions, either about other people’s thoughts or 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
“Fortune-telling” involves predicting a negative outcome or deciding things will turn out badly before they happen.
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 on motivation and performance.
Recap
Jumping to conclusions often happens either by making assumptions about what others think (mind-reading) or making assumptions about what will happen (fortune-telling).
Effects of Jumping to Conclusions
Jumping to conclusions can have several negative effects. For one, it can create conflicts in relationships. If you routinely assume the worst about others, it can lead to arguments and misunderstandings.
It can also harm your self-image and contribute to anxiety. For example, if you struggle with anxiety and believe others are judging you, it can intensify your anxiety. Similarly, if you have depression and assume nothing will get better, it can worsen feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
Recap
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:
- Negative beliefs: Despite having good relationships with her coworkers, Diane believes that they don’t see her as being as smart or capable as the rest of the office. Diane was recently assigned an important project that she was excited to work on. However, she has been telling herself, “They all already think I’m dumb. I just know I will make a mistake and ruin this entire project.”
- Making assumptions: Aidan has a panic attack at work in front of several coworkers. He assumes that his co-workers think negatively about him because of his anxiety. He believes that he will lose his job if his employer finds out about his condition.
- Predicting responses: James wants to ask someone out on a date but assumes that they will say no, so he never asks.
- Sabotaging success: Remy feels like they are going to fail their math test no matter what they do to prepare. Because they believe that failure is inevitable, they don’t study and don’t give their full effort during the exam.
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
Reframing how 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?
Recap
Changing how you think about and interpret situations can help reduce the tendency to jump to conclusions. Challenging this thinking pattern by actively looking for evidence against it and replacing these thoughts with more realistic ones can help.
How to Stop Jumping to Conclusions
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:
- Check the facts: Start by gathering as much information as you can before you make a judgment or decision.
- Challenge your thinking: If you find yourself making assumptions, actively challenge your conclusions. Is there another explanation that would also make sense?
- Ask questions: Before you jump to conclusions about what another person might be thinking, try just asking. Communicating your concerns and getting a direct answer can eliminate a lot of confusion.
- Take another perspective: Think about the situation from the point of view of an outsider. How might they interpret the situation? What information would they need in order to reach an accurate conclusion?
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.
Recap
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.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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