Mind-Reading
Assuming you know what others are thinking — usually badly about you — without checking, then acting on the assumption.
Why this habit matters
- Decision_making: Major decisions (jobs declined, relationships ended, opportunities not pursued) made on the basis of unverified assumed judgments cost cumulative life options.
- Mental_health: A core CBT-recognized cognitive distortion that reliably amplifies anxiety, depression, and social phobia by treating worst-case interpretations as facts.
- Relationships: Acting on assumed thoughts the other person never had generates conflict over invented offenses and erodes the shared basis in real communication.
Related habits
- Related to: Black-and-White Thinking
- Amplifies: Overthinking