Fortune telling: a cognitive distortion

Fortune telling is predicting how things will turn out, often as the worst case, even when that is unlikely. Psychology Tools describes it as a form of “jumping to conclusions”: imagining and predicting that bad things are going to happen to us.

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Examples of fortune telling

Fortune telling writes tomorrow’s ending today, and writes it badly. Notice when you are about to act on a forecast as if it were information: skipping the application, avoiding the call, bracing for the no. The habit to build is filing a forecast under forecasts.

The examples below are made up, to show the pattern.

  • At work

    You’re thinking about applying for an internal role. The application would take an evening.

    “There’s no point. They’ve already picked someone.”

    More balanced: I don’t know who else applied. If I don’t apply, the answer is no for certain.

  • In a relationship

    You need to tell a close friend you can’t make her wedding.

    “She’ll never forgive me, and the friendship is finished.”

    More balanced: I don’t know yet how she’ll take it. I can tell her soon and explain why.

  • About yourself

    You sign up for a beginners’ running group.

    “I’ll be the slowest there and I’ll quit within two weeks.”

    More balanced: I might be slow at first. It is a group for beginners.

How to catch fortune telling

When the thought shows up, put these to it, ideally in writing:

  • What would I need to see to know this will really happen?
  • How have my forecasts about things like this turned out before?
  • What are two other ways this could go?
  • Is the prediction stopping me from even trying?

Try it on a thought

Does it contain this trap?

Not a positive spin: what you would say if you stuck to what you know.

Check it against every trap

If the thought is unwanted and keeps pushing you to check things or ask for reassurance, this tool is not the right kind of help for it. Read about OCD on the NHS website.

Questions people ask

How is fortune telling different from catastrophizing?

They overlap: the definition above says fortune telling often predicts the worst case. Here is how a source defines catastrophizing:

Catastrophizing is imagining the worst possible outcome and starting to believe it will happen.

What if my prediction comes true?

Sometimes it will. The aim isn’t optimism, it’s to stop acting as if the result were already decided. Plan for the likely version, and if it is a problem you can act on, put it through the worry tree.

When to get help

These are self-help tools, not medical advice or a diagnosis. Talk to a doctor, or to one of the lines below, if:

  • you have thoughts of harming yourself (see the lines below).
  • you feel low or hopeless, and it is not lifting. The NHS suggests seeing a GP if you have had a low mood for more than 2 weeks, or if the things you are trying yourself are not helping.
  • the worry is getting in the way of your daily life. The NHS suggests talking to a GP if anxiety is affecting your daily life.
  • the thoughts feel unwanted and push you to check things or ask for reassurance again and again. OCD involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts that keep coming back, and compulsions such as asking for reassurance or checking. The NHS says it is important to get help if it has a significant impact on your life.

Lines you can call

  • US:988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988Free and confidential, 24/7. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org.
  • UK & Ireland:Samaritans116 123Free to call, day or night.
  • England:NHS 111111, mental health optionUrgent help from the NHS when it is not an emergency.

In the US, in life-threatening situations, call 911. In the UK, if someone's life is at risk, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent help in England, use NHS 111 online or call 111 and choose the mental health option. Elsewhere, call your local emergency number.

Sources

  1. Unhelpful Ways of Thinking. James Madison University Counseling Center. jmu.edu
  2. Whalley M (2019). Cognitive Distortions: Unhelpful Thinking Habits. Psychology Tools. psychologytools.com
  3. Unhelpful Thinking Styles. Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. rnoh.nhs.uk
  4. Low mood, sadness and depression. NHS. nhs.uk
  5. Anxiety. NHS Every Mind Matters. nhs.uk
  6. Symptoms - Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). NHS. nhs.uk
  7. Where to get urgent help for mental health. NHS. nhs.uk
  8. Suicide Prevention. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). nimh.nih.gov
  9. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
  10. Contact a Samaritan. Samaritans. samaritans.org

Sources checked claim by claim by an AI review. Approved for publishing by Oleksii Y. on 2026-10-05.

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