Cognitive distortions refer to habitual patterns of thinking that lead us to interpret events in a more negative way than the situation actually warrants. The concept originated in the 1970s with psychologist Aaron Beck, who developed what became known as cognitive therapy [1]. Psychiatrist David Burns later made these ideas accessible to a general audience, organizing them into what he called the "ten forms of cognitive distortion" [2]. This framework remains one of the most widely used classification systems in psychology and counseling.

The ten distortions identified by Burns are as follows:

1. All-or-Nothing Thinking — seeing things in black and white, with no middle ground
2. Overgeneralization — treating a single failure as evidence of a never-ending pattern
3. Mental Filter — focusing exclusively on negatives while ignoring positives
4. Discounting the Positive — dismissing good experiences as not counting
5. Mind Reading — assuming negative outcomes or judgments without real evidence
＊Burns originally included "fortune telling" under jumping to conclusions, but as it overlaps considerably with overgeneralization, this assessment focuses specifically on mind reading.
6. Magnification and Minimization — exaggerating problems while downplaying successes
7. Emotional Reasoning — treating feelings as facts
8. Should Statements — holding yourself or others to rigid, inflexible rules
9. Labeling — attaching a fixed negative label to yourself or others based on a single event
10. Personalization — taking excessive personal responsibility for events outside your control

These ten patterns continue to be widely used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practice and mental health education today. For example, the Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS), developed on the basis of Burns' framework, uses these ten patterns to measure thinking tendencies [3]. Research conducted in Japan with university students and working adults has also examined how cognitive distortions relate to stress and low mood [4].

This assessment adopts the ten-pattern framework for three reasons.
First, it is grounded in psychotherapeutic theory and represents a scientifically organized framework.
Second, it is accessible to a general audience and well-suited to helping people reflect on their everyday thinking habits.
Third, each of the ten patterns serves as a concrete lens through which to examine one's own characteristic ways of thinking.

This assessment develops question items based on these ten distortions, with the aim of providing a gentle and accessible way to check in on everyday thinking habits. The goal is to help people understand their own thinking tendencies and find a starting point for developing more flexible and constructive ways of engaging with the world.

A team of certified psychologists, clinical psychologists, and graduates of psychology master's programs reviewed the prior research and developed multiple draft versions of the questions. Three items were selected per dimension to allow the assessment to be completed in a relatively short time while still providing clear and meaningful results.

① All-or-Nothing Thinking
1. I find ambiguous situations uncomfortable and want things to be clear-cut.
2. I sometimes want to cut off relationships and start fresh.
3. I cannot feel satisfied with results that are only partially successful.

② Overgeneralization
4. A single failure is enough to make me lose confidence in myself.
5. If someone dislikes me once, I assume they will always dislike me.
6. When something negative happens, I feel it will continue into the future.

③ Mental Filter
7. I tend to notice only the things I dislike about myself.
8. Critical or negative words leave a stronger impression on me than positive ones.
9. I find myself repeatedly replaying unpleasant events in my mind.

④ Discounting the Positive
10. When I succeed at something, I tend to think it was just luck.
11. Even when someone compliments me, I find it hard to accept it genuinely.
12. Even when something enjoyable happens, I find it hard to feel straightforwardly happy.

⑤ Mind Reading
13. I often feel that others are evaluating me negatively.
14. I frequently feel as though I have been criticized, even when nothing was said.
15. I exhaust myself trying to figure out what others are thinking or feeling.

⑥ Magnification and Minimization
16. I tend to exaggerate my own flaws and shortcomings.
17. Even when things go well, I tend to think it was not a big deal.
18. I often feel that others are doing better than I am.

⑦ Emotional Reasoning
19. When I feel anxious, I assume something bad is going to happen.
20. When I feel low, I start to believe that I am worthless.
21. When I have a bad feeling about something, it feels certain to come true.

⑧ Should Statements
22. I feel that I must not make mistakes.
23. I frequently use words like "must," "always," or "should."
24. I have a constant sense that there is something I have to be doing.

⑨ Labeling
25. When I fail at something, I think "I am a worthless person."
26. I tend to categorize other people in broad, fixed terms.
27. When I am not good at something, I conclude that I have no talent.

⑩ Personalization
28. When others have problems, I feel it is my responsibility to fix them.
29. When someone is in a bad mood, I assume it is my fault.
30. When someone goes quiet, I feel I must have done something wrong.

【Response Scale】
Each question is answered using the following 5-point scale.
Not at all like me　　　　0
Rarely like me　　　　　1
Neutral　　　　　　　　　2
Somewhat like me　　　3
Very much like me　　　4

【Scoring per Dimension】
Each dimension consists of 3 questions.
The total score per dimension ranges from 0 to 12.

High　　10–12　Strong
Moderate　7–9　Moderate
Low　　　0–6　Minimal

【Overall Score (for reference)】
The total score across all 30 questions ranges from 0 to 120.

96–120　Cognitive distortion　Very strong
71–95　　Cognitive distortion　Somewhat strong
46–70　　Cognitive distortion　Mild
0–45　　　Cognitive distortion　Minimal

For each dimension, we provided an evaluation of approximately 1,000 characters covering key characteristics and points to be aware of. The content was developed based on prior research and the clinical experience of the authors.

This assessment has not been subjected to factor analysis or checks for reliability and validity. It reflects the professional judgment of specialists, but please note that it lacks sufficient statistical grounding and is not intended for use in academic research.

1. Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders.
2. Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy.
3. Özdel, K. et al. (2014). Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS): Reliability and validity study. PLoS ONE, 9(8): e105956.
4. Higashi, Y. (1996). Development of a cognitive distortion scale. Otemon Gakuin University Journal of Psychology.