Jumping to Conclusions Is Like Jumping Off a Diving Board Blindfolded
You just might land in the shallow end
We all do it. Jump to conclusions. It seems to be part of the fabric of our being. When we jump to conclusions, we are exercising a survival mechanism. Our early ancestors needed the ability to quickly size up situations and people to keep themselves and their tribe safe. Was the shadowy form in the bush safe or harmful? Better to prepare for an attack rather than be eaten. We still have this power today, and it continues to keep us safe from real dangers. But like many things, it can go to extremes.
In our more sophisticated world, we jump to conclusions about everything and anything and assume danger exists when it’s all in our heads. Seemingly meaningless things happen, and we immediately assign a negative meaning without knowing the facts. We make poor decisions that may have repercussions long afterwards.
Jumping to conclusions is more often than not a type of cognitive distortion along with fortune-telling, mind-reading, and overgeneralization. We often assume, without facts, that someone or something means to harm us or already has harmed us in some way. This can easily happen if we are uncertain of our relationship with the other person or even if we’re in a bad mood.
