Jumping to Conclusions
A cognitive distortion where one draws a negative or unwarranted conclusion despite insufficient evidence, skipping a fair evaluation of available information.
THE IDEA
Jumping to Conclusions
Jumping to conclusions means making a snap judgment without fairly considering relevant, easily available evidence. It often involves assuming the worst, with existing biases or emotional reasoning taking the place of necessary facts.
Example: "She wants birth control in her medical cover? What a slut!"
When to use it
Evaluating a colleague’s behavior in the workplace
Interpreting ambiguous social media posts
Assessing a partner’s actions in a romantic relationship
Making quick hiring decisions based on first impressions
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Medical Insurance Judgment
A person hears that a colleague wants birth control included in her medical insurance and immediately concludes she is promiscuous, ignoring other reasons like medical necessity or personal choice.
Workplace Snub
Assuming a coworker ignored your email because they are rude, without checking if they were out of office or the email went to spam.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Can you recall a time when you made an assumption about someone's intentions without asking them? What was the outcome?
How might pausing to gather more evidence before concluding change your relationships or decisions?
What questions could you ask yourself to challenge a snap judgment?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Wisdom Theory 100 Mental Models (2020) (Wisdom Theory)