Cognition refers to the mental processes and activities involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and using knowledge. It included all of the conscious and unconscious processes involved in thinking, perceiving, and reasoning. They encompass various aspects of our thinking, understanding, and perception. They include a wide range of mental activities such as:

• Perception: The process of perceiving and interpreting sensory information from the environment, including recognizing objects, shapes, colors, sounds, and other sensory stimuli.
• Attention: The ability to selectively focus on specific information while filtering out irrelevant or distracting stimuli. Attention allows us to concentrate on certain aspects of our environment or mental representations.
• Memory: The cognitive process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information. Memory includes both short-term memory, which holds information temporarily, and long-term memory, which stores information for a more extended period.
• Language and Communication: Language cognition involves understanding and producing spoken or written words, as well as understanding the rules and structures of grammar, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. It encompasses the ability to generate coherent speech or text and comprehend language-based information.
• Reasoning and Problem-Solving: Cognitive processes involved in drawing conclusions, making inferences, and using logic to solve problems or challenges. This includes analytical thinking, critical thinking, and the ability to use information to arrive at informed decisions.
• Executive Functions: Higher-level cognitive processes responsible for goal-directed behavior, planning, decision-making, self-control, and cognitive flexibility. Executive functions help in managing and coordinating other cognitive processes.
• Metacognition: The ability to think about and monitor one’s own cognitive processes. Metacognition involves self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-regulation of cognitive activities, such as planning, monitoring, and evaluating one’s own thinking and learning.
• Social Cognition: The cognitive processes related to understanding and interacting with others. Social cognition includes recognizing emotions, understanding social cues, empathy, theory of mind (the ability to attribute mental states to others), and perspective-taking.

Common types of thoughts contained in cognitions include:

• Analytical Thoughts: Analytical thoughts involve logical reasoning, critical thinking, and the evaluation of information or ideas. These thoughts are focused on analysis, problem-solving, and making rational judgments based on evidence and logical principles.
• Creative Thoughts: Creative thoughts involve generating new ideas, insights, and connections. They are characterized by originality, imagination, and divergent thinking. Creative thoughts often involve breaking away from conventional patterns and exploring new possibilities.
• Reflective Thoughts: Reflective thoughts involve introspection, self-examination, and contemplation. They are focused on examining one’s own thoughts, emotions, and experiences, as well as gaining self-awareness and insight into personal beliefs and values.
• Abstract Thoughts: Abstract thoughts deal with concepts, ideas, and theories that are not tied to specific physical objects or situations. They involve thinking in terms of generalizations, principles, and broader categories rather than concrete details.
• Concrete Thoughts: Concrete thoughts deal with specific, tangible objects, events, or experiences. They involve thinking in terms of particular instances, details, and sensory information. Concrete thoughts are often associated with practical, hands-on problem-solving.
• Positive Thoughts: Positive thoughts involve optimistic, hopeful, and positive perspectives. They focus on positive aspects, possibilities, and outcomes. Positive thoughts can contribute to a positive mindset and emotional well-being.
• Negative Thoughts: Negative thoughts involve pessimistic, self-critical, or negative perspectives. They may include self-doubt, worry, fear, or critical judgments. Negative thoughts can contribute to negative emotions and may impact overall mental well-being.
• Automatic Thoughts: Automatic thoughts are spontaneous, rapid thoughts that often occur without conscious effort. They are often influenced by underlying beliefs, biases, or learned patterns of thinking. Automatic thoughts can be positive or negative and may influence our emotions and behaviors.
• Intrusive Thoughts: Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, repetitive, and distressing thoughts that can come to mind involuntarily. They can be unrelated to the present situation and may involve disturbing or irrational content. Intrusive thoughts are often associated with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders.
• Imaginative Thoughts: Imaginative thoughts involve the creation of mental images, scenarios, or narratives. They allow us to simulate or visualize experiences, events, or possibilities that are not currently present in reality.

Thoughts can also be rational or irrational, which refer to different ways of thinking that can influence our beliefs, judgments, and decision-making processes. Here’s an overview of each:

• Rational Thoughts: Rational thoughts are based on reason, logic, and evidence. They involve critical thinking and objective evaluation of information. Rational thoughts are grounded in facts, evidence, and coherent reasoning. They aim to be consistent, logical, and reliable. When we engage in rational thinking, we strive to consider different perspectives, weigh evidence, and draw conclusions that are supported by evidence and sound reasoning. Example: “Based on the evidence presented, I can conclude that the hypothesis is valid.”
• Irrational Thoughts: Irrational thoughts, on the other hand, involve cognitive distortions or biases that can lead to flawed or illogical thinking. Irrational thoughts may disregard evidence, be influenced by emotions, or rely on faulty reasoning. They can be based on assumptions, generalizations, or irrational beliefs. Irrational thoughts often lead to cognitive errors, such as overgeneralization, personalization, catastrophizing, or black-and-white thinking. Example: “I made a mistake, so I’m a complete failure. Everything I do is always wrong.”

It’s important to note that irrational thoughts are not necessarily always incorrect or illogical. They may be influenced by subjective experiences, personal biases, or emotional states. However, they often deviate from rational thinking, which aims to be objective and grounded in evidence and sound reasoning.

Cognitive distortions and irrational thoughts are common aspects of human thinking, and we all experience them to some degree. Becoming aware of these patterns and challenging them with rational thinking can help promote more balanced and accurate beliefs and judgments. They are patterns of thinking that can lead to negative emotions and inaccurate perceptions of reality. Here’s a link to a diagram showing 188 cognitive distortions https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/all-188-cognitive-biases.html. Following are several cognitive distortions explained:

• All-or-Nothing Thinking (also called Black-and-White and Polarized Thinking): Seeing things in extremes without considering any middle ground. It’s either perfect or a total failure.
• Overgeneralization: Drawing broad conclusions based on a single event or limited evidence. For example, assuming that one failure means you will always fail.
• Mental Filter: Focusing only on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive aspects.
• Disqualifying the Positive: Discounting or dismissing positive experiences or achievements as if they don’t count.
• Jumping to Conclusions: Making negative assumptions or predictions about the future without sufficient evidence. This can take two forms:
  • Mind Reading: Assuming you know what others are thinking, usually assuming they have negative thoughts about you.
  • Fortune Telling: Predicting negative outcomes without considering other possibilities.
• Magnification and Minimization: Exaggerating the importance of negative events or characteristics (magnification) while downplaying positive events or characteristics (minimization).
• Emotional Reasoning: Believing that your feelings reflect reality, even when there is no evidence to support it. For example, “I feel like a failure, so I must be one.”
• Should Statements: Using “should,” “must,” or “ought to” statements to impose rigid expectations on yourself or others. This can lead to guilt and frustration when those expectations aren’t met.
• Labeling: Applying overly simplistic and negative labels to oneself or others based on a single behavior or mistake. For example, calling yourself a “failure” because of one setback.
• Personalization: Assuming responsibility for events or situations that are beyond your control or not related to you personally.
• Control Fallacies: Believing that you are either entirely powerless or entirely responsible for events and outcomes.
• Catastrophizing: Exaggerating the potential negative consequences of a situation and assuming the worst possible outcome.
• Selective Attention: Paying attention only to information that confirms your pre-existing beliefs or biases while ignoring contradictory evidence.
• Comparisons: Comparing yourself unfavorably to others, leads to feelings of envy, inferiority, or resentment.
• The fallacy of Fairness: Assumes that all things in life should be applied and measured based on fairness and equality. However, in reality, not all things work out the way we expect them to and we will feel angry and resentful towards those things in life.
• Heaven’s Reward Fallacy: This belief is related to the Fallacy of Fairness, in that if we lived in a fair world we would be rewarded fairly. Heaven’s Reward Fallacy distortion is based on the reasoning that you should be rewarded based on how hard you work. Similar to the Fallacy of Fairness, we will be disappointed because most things aren’t fair. This leads to feelings of frustration, anger, and resentment.