Why We Catastrophize and Why We Expect the Worst

Cognitive distortion is a cognitive distortion that prompts people to jump to the worst possible conclusion. It can generally take two different forms, making a catastrophe out of a current situation or imagining one in the future. This pattern of thinking can itself be destructive because it's unnecessary and persistent worry does lead to heightened anxiety and depression. If you can imagine the worst happening, you have an opportunity to try and create a plan in advance before that outcome happens. And long-term potentiation shows up everywhere, everywhere, in psychology.