Are you prone to jumping to conclusions? How it can affect your well-being and relationships.

When we choose to look below the surface, the story can look very different from what we first thought. 

At one time in our human development, it was important to be able to quickly sum up a situation or a foe, so that we could take action to increase our chances of survival.  

However, as the human brain and language evolved to be more complex, interactions between people became more nuanced, so there was an increasing amount of information to process and understand. 

Decisions and conclusions needed more time and required consideration and analytical thought to arrive at what it all meant. This complexity meant that jumping to a conclusion too quickly might leave us prone to misunderstanding a person or situation, formulating the wrong opinion, and consequently making the wrong decision. 

You may have heard people you know, airing opinions and making statements as if they are concrete facts when you know that they don't have the full story. 

Jumping to conclusions according to modern psychology is a form of cognitive distortion, or error in thinking. It is characterised by the act of formulating a belief, understanding, or personal statement that is premature, and without all the facts necessary to arrive at such a conclusion. More often than not, such conclusions are negative. 

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? 

Some people may have a low tolerance for ambiguity or uncertainty, and are eager to form an opinion or to come to an appraisal of a situation or a person. 

Emotional vulnerabilities can also colour our thinking, and interfere with the ability to use logic and come to rational conclusions. 

People who are prone to anxiety or low self-esteem may default quickly to negative interpretations.  

Apart from these innate personality characteristics, we can also be influenced by others around us, such as family members or close friends who may model such thinking. There is a certain loyalty to upholding preconceived opinions that are held by those we are emotionally close to, or by those we admire.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF "Jumping to Conclusions"? 

The results of jumping to conclusions are universal statements and beliefs which, if they are ill-conceived, are problematic for personal and professional relationships, and detrimental to personal happiness and well-being. 

The problem for relationships and self-concept is both judgement and rigidity that inevitably accompanies premature assumptions. 

As most instances of "Jumping to conclusions" involve a negative or faulty assumption, the world of the assumer tends to be coloured by pessimism, mistrust, and suspicion about the motives and inherent goodness of other people.  

Specifically, this can lead to; 

• negative feelings about one's self

• negative presumptions about our relationships with others and how we are viewed by them

• increased anxiety around social settings

• worry about scenarios or outcomes that may not even happen

• a generally pessimistic outlook on life
  

The reason for this is that "Jumping to conclusions" tends to leave little space for exceptions, alternative interpretations, or re-examining one's own thinking. 

In addition, once the assumer has formed their opinion, they will tend to stick with it, even if it's an unpleasant conclusion that leaves them feeling disillusioned or depressed. They fail to question their own assumption, to test its validity, or to consider that there may be more than one possible interpretation of the facts available. 

Once people have made up their mind and come to their conclusion, they tend to adhere to it which firms up their conviction that they are right. https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/think-well/201812/why-many-people-stubbornly-refuse-change-their-minds

THREE COMMON SUB-TYPES OF CONCLUSION JUMPING 

Mind reading 

Where we assume what someone is thinking or saying before we have enough information to reach such a conclusion. Mind reading leads us to give responses to someone who will in turn take exception to what we have said because it's either inaccurate or completely untrue.

Or we may quietly harbour a negative assumption of what we think others may think or say about us. Eg. "She probably didn't call back me because she didn't want to." We do the other person an injustice.  

Fortune telling 

Where a person has inflexible expectations for how things will turn out before they happen. They may predict the outcome of something will be negative before they have any evidence to support this assumption. Eg. "There is no point asking for a meeting because nothing will change anyway." 

Or they may predict that a friend will probably not follow through with what they promised to do. Eg. "He said he would give me a hand but he'll probably forget."

Labelling 

Where we make global statements about ourselves or others, based on an isolated incident. How we label things often reflects our internal belief system. Labelling is often negative and generally based on either past experience or self-doubt, rather than current facts and evidence. E.g. "I'm no good at public speaking." (even though you've never tried it) 

BEFORE YOU JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS, REMEMBER...

Your opinion is just that; an opinion. Your perception is just that; your own perspective. Don't assume these are automatically facts or truths. 

Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself 

1. Do I have all the facts and is that information reliable?

2. Could there be more to this than meets the eye?

3. Is this out-of-character for this person?

4. Is my reaction influenced by my own insecurities? Or have I been

  triggered?

5. Should I ask a clarifying question or two and test my assumption? 

6.    Should I discuss my conclusion with someone I trust to see if it is well-

        founded.

7. Do I need to make any assumptions at this stage at all, or would it be best to stay open?

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