Say you met up with colleagues for lunch, and though it seemed to go well on the surface, you left with a feeling of something not having gone quite right. Even though no one criticized you and the conversation was normal, that “off” feeling quickly became a conclusion: I made a fool of myself. The feeling is very real, but it doesn’t prove what anyone else thought.
The jump to conclusions or decisions based on our feelings is called “emotional reasoning.” It is a cognitive distortion in which a feeling is treated as evidence.[1]
Emotions themselves are healthy and often very useful – they’re an important source of information. However, emotions become problematic when they are used to make judgments and decisions without evidence. The problem is allowing feelings to influence or completely overtake facts. Over time, this can affect relationships, decisions, and self-worth.
To help you better understand emotional reasoning and how to challenge it, this page explains:
Emotional reasoning is one of several cognitive distortions, also called “thinking errors”, that can shape how we interpret ourselves, other people, and what’s going on in the environment around us. The basic pattern is: I feel it, therefore it must be true.
Like other cognitive distortions, emotional reasoning is not a condition that is diagnosable on its own. It usually makes up part of a broader diagnosis, like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and psychosis, which we will get into in more detail below. Before we do, let’s take a look at what emotional reasoning may sound like to make it easier to recognize:
Even when the conclusion is wrong, the feeling is genuine. So how can we differentiate what is fact from what is feeling, as the two are often closely linked? And what about intuition? Is that a feeling too? Is it something we can trust to make decisions?
How many times have you heard the saying, “Trust your gut”? To answer the previous question, intuition is not always the same as a feeling. It’s a quick judgment that arises without any conscious, step-by-step thinking.
Sometimes the brain has quietly noticed a familiar pattern based on past experience. Research suggests these judgments are most trustworthy when someone has plenty of practice in a predictable situation and has received clear feedback about previous decisions.[2]
However, intuition can also become a way of bypassing facts. You might think, I have a feeling they’re lying, so they are. The uneasy feeling isn’t proof, though. It could be linked to:
Research on the “affect heuristic” shows that people often use positive or negative feelings as shortcuts when deciding whether something is safe, risky, good, or bad.[3] So, though intuition is an extremely helpful signal to explore, it’s not a final answer.
When this almost-instantaneous feeling is accepted without checking evidence, it can begin the emotional-reasoning cycle. This may be particularly the case when anxiety or another mental health condition is already shaping how the situation feels.
Emotional reasoning is not a diagnosis and is something that can happen to anyone, especially during a stressful time. However, in its more severe form, it is often linked to mental health conditions. This is similar to other forms of cognitive distortions, such as black-and-white thinking and catastrophizing.
Let’s take a look at some of the research-based links between emotional reasoning and some of these mental health conditions in which it can be most prevalent.
The clearest research link between emotional reasoning and a mental health condition is with anxiety. This makes a lot of sense since anxiety is rooted in the protective mechanism of detecting possible danger. When the body and mind are afraid, this fear can seem like evidence that a threat is real, even if the situation is unclear.
As a result, emotional reasoning turns the feeling into proof. This is supported by research showing how people with anxiety disorders judge situations as more dangerous even if there’s no extra evidence of danger.[1]
Depression can make sadness, guilt, or hopelessness feel like facts. The thought cycle might sound something like: I feel worthless, so I am worthless. There are links in research between self-focused emotional reasoning and later depressive symptoms. However, the pattern is less clear than for anxiety.[4]
After experiencing a traumatic event, fear or intrusive memories might make a safe situation feel dangerous. For instance, Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more likely than comparison groups to judge situations as dangerous due to anxious feelings or intrusive memories, even when facts did not signal danger.[5]
Later research also found that children and teenagers who used more emotional reasoning also showed stronger PTSD symptoms, especially avoidance.[6]
In borderline personality disorder (BPD), emotions can rise quickly and become hard to escape. When it comes to emotional reasoning, this is particularly the case for people with BPD, who research says have “emotional cascades.” This describes when negative feelings and repeated thinking increase one another.[7]
Other research found people with BPD interpret social cues more negatively.[8] This may make rejection feel like proof of someone’s intentions, for example. Despite these findings, emotional-reasoning research in BPD is limited, so it is difficult to draw any hard conclusions on exactly how people with BPD experience emotional reasoning.
Psychosis is a group of symptoms that can make it hard for a person to truly identify what is real from what isn’t. It may involve hearing or seeing things others do not, confused thinking, or very strong convictions that aren’t backed by shared evidence. Psychosis can develop through a mixture of:
In relation to psychosis, emotional reasoning may strengthen an unusual belief by making a feeling seem like proof. For example, I feel attracted to this person, so they are my soul mate.
The Cognitive Biases Questionnaire for Psychosis measures emotional reasoning alongside four other thinking biases linked with psychosis.[9] Research has found higher overall levels of these biases in people with psychotic disorders than those without.
However, in the case of psychosis, emotional reasoning is just one part of a much more complex condition.[10]
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Challenging emotional reasoning does not mean telling yourself that your feelings are wrong. The feeling may be very real. The aim is to slow down the jump from I feel this to This must be true.
Instead of removing emotion, you add facts, context, and other possible explanations. However, because emotional reasoning often happens automatically, this takes patience and practice. We discuss some ways of building this skill below.
The following skills come from cognitive behavioral approaches used to identify and examine unhelpful thinking:[11]
Psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy,” is the gold standard approach when it comes to challenging cognitive disorders. The following are some modalities that have been proven to be effective.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you slow down the moment between a feeling and the conclusion you draw from that feeling. You learn to notice:
A CBT therapist can help you separate facts from guesses and look for other possible explanations. For example, feeling ignored doesn’t always mean someone is rejecting you.
Over time, CBT can help you catch emotional reasoning earlier and respond with a more balanced view, rather than just allowing the strongest feeling to win.
Acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT, does not ask you to fight every upsetting thought or feeling. Instead, it helps you notice them without immediately believing or obeying them.
This can be useful when emotions feel intense and hard to control. You learn to step back and recognize that feeling unsafe, unwanted, or hopeless is an experience you are having – not definite proof of your situation.
ACT also helps you choose actions based on what matters to you. This means you can still feel anxious or hurt while responding in a way that supports your relationships, health, or long-term goals.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can help when emotions rise quickly and lead to sudden decisions or reactions. It teaches practical skills for:
Instead of reacting as soon as you feel rejected, angry, or afraid, DBT helps you pause and work out what you actually know. It also teaches that your emotion can be valid without your first conclusion being fully accurate.
This is particularly useful for emotional reasoning because it creates space between the feeling and the action, helping you respond with more control.
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Mental Health support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.
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When emotional reasoning is repeatedly affecting your relationships, decisions, work, or sense of safety, this is a good (and important) time to explore mental health treatment. You may recognize a thought, or multiple thoughts, that lack evidence but still have a firm hold on you and are negatively impacting you.
At AMFM, our process can help you identify the automatic thoughts attached to strong emotions and understand why particular conclusions feel so convincing. CBT, cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, and emotional regulation work may be used alongside treatment for anxiety, trauma, or other concerns contributing to your pattern.
We offer an intimate, focused mental health treatment experience for adults in home-like settings that are carefully maintained to be peaceful, comfortable spaces. AMFM Mental Health Treatment provides the full spectrum of care, including residential treatment and multiple levels of outpatient treatment programs.
Our locations in California, Minnesota, Virginia, and Washington accept insurance and are in-network with most major providers. To check your insurance coverage for mental health care, simply complete our confidential online verification form or call us at 866-478-4383.
Reach out to us if you would like to start the admissions process or learn more about how we can support your mental well-being. Our compassionate team is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide guidance with no obligation.
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At AMFM, we strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate medical information based on current best practices, evolving information, and our team’s approach to care. Our aim is that our readers can make informed decisions about their healthcare.
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