Recent research described emotional reasoning as a mechanism that “can lead people to take their emotions as information about the external world, even when the emotion is not generated by the situation to be evaluated.” This leads to inaccurate emotional truths which directly contradict any objective, perceptual truths.

Emotional reasoning was first coined by the American psychiatrist Aaron Beck in the 1970s.

Beck referred to thought responses to an emotion as “automatic thinking”.

automatic thoughts will be relevant to your state of mind, even if you do not specifically struggle with your mental health.

studies have shown that isolated automatic thoughts can result in negative thought cycles.

Increasing anxiety can begin to negatively impact your performance. You may struggle to focus, make mistakes, or see a decline in your output. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and a cycle of negative thoughts is set in motion.

1. Practice validity testing. Validity testing is key to checking whether you are experiencing emotional reasoning.

2. Write in a journal. Journaling is a great way to pay attention to your thought patterns. Specifically, you should record the difficult situations you face, and which emotions or thoughts a dilemma provokes.

Recording your feelings in this way will allow you to reflect on your natural thought patterns so that you can start to identify when emotional reasoning is affecting you. This provides an opportunity to reject negative thoughts before they take hold.

3. Discuss your emotions. If you feel anxious about work, you may struggle to accurately assess your performance. Talking to a trusted colleague or friend about your concerns could give you a much-needed objective view.