Feelings Aren’t Facts: Nigeria’s Dangerous Mental Health Trap
Emotional reasoning and jumping to conclusions are not only cognitive biases but also significant mental health concerns because they can exacerbate psychological distress, contribute to mental health disorders, and impair overall well-being. In the Nigerian context, where mental health resources are limited and stigma is prevalent, these biases can amplify emotional and social challenges, making them critical issues to address.
Defining Cognitive Bias
A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that distorts how individuals perceive and interpret information, leading to irrational judgments or decisions. These biases arise from mental shortcuts (heuristics) that prioritize efficiency over accuracy, often influenced by emotions, culture, or context [1]. In Nigeria, where social pressures, economic stress, and cultural norms shape decision-making, cognitive biases can have profound effects, particularly on mental health.
Emotional Reasoning
Definition: Emotional reasoning is the cognitive bias where individuals assume their emotions reflect objective reality. For example, feeling worthless leads someone to conclude, “I am worthless,” despite evidence of their value [2]. This bias equates subjective feelings with factual truth, bypassing logical evaluation.
Why It’s a Mental Health Concern: Emotional reasoning is a mental health concern because it can intensify negative emotions, perpetuate cycles of distress, and contribute to disorders like depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. By treating emotions as evidence, individuals reinforce negative thought patterns, which cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) identifies as a hallmark of mood disorders [3]. In Nigeria, where mental health stigma discourages help-seeking (only 20% of those with mental health issues seek professional care [14]), emotional reasoning can trap individuals in self-reinforcing despair. For instance, cultural expectations of emotional resilience may lead someone to internalize feelings of shame as truth, worsening their mental state. This bias also heightens emotional reactivity, making it harder to cope with stressors like financial strain or family obligations, common in Nigeria’s high-pressure environment.
Why It’s Wrong: Emotional reasoning is flawed because emotions are transient and influenced by external factors (e.g., stress, fatigue, or cultural norms) rather than objective reality. In Nigeria’s collectivist society, where emotional expressiveness is valued, this bias can lead to misinterpretations during social interactions, escalating conflicts or self-doubt. It distorts decision-making by prioritizing feelings over evidence, leading to impulsive or irrational choices that can worsen mental health outcomes [3].
Effects in the Nigerian Context:
Relationships: Emotional reasoning strains Nigeria’s tight-knit family and community ties. For example, in a Lagos family meeting, a woman feels disrespected by her sister’s comment and concludes, “She hates me.” This assumption, rooted in emotion rather than evidence, sparks a feud, causing emotional distress and isolation, which can contribute to anxiety or depression in a culture where family support is a key mental health buffer.
Productivity: In workplaces, emotional reasoning undermines performance and mental resilience. A banker in Abuja feels overwhelmed by a deadline and thinks, “I’m a failure,” leading to procrastination and heightened stress. This negative self-perception can spiral into burnout or imposter syndrome, prevalent in Nigeria’s competitive job market, where job loss fears amplify mental health risks.
Life as a Whole: Emotional reasoning exacerbates Nigeria’s mental health crisis, where only 0.1 psychiatrists serve 100,000 people [14]. Someone feeling hopeless might conclude, “Life is pointless,” and avoid seeking help due to stigma, perpetuating depressive symptoms. In urban centers like Port Harcourt, economic pressures and traffic stress amplify negative emotions, making this bias a barrier to well-being.
Jumping to Conclusions
Definition: Jumping to conclusions is the bias of making hasty judgments without sufficient evidence, including mind reading (assuming others’ thoughts) and fortune telling (predicting negative outcomes) [4]. For example, assuming a colleague’s silence means disapproval is mind reading, while predicting a project’s failure is fortune telling.
Why It’s a Mental Health Concern: This bias is a mental health concern because it fosters paranoia, mistrust, and anticipatory anxiety, which are risk factors for anxiety disorders, social phobia, and interpersonal conflicts [5]. By assuming negative intentions or outcomes, individuals create self-fulfilling prophecies that heighten stress and erode self-confidence. In Nigeria, where social interactions are nuanced and mistrust can stem from ethnic or economic divides, jumping to conclusions amplifies interpersonal tension, leading to social withdrawal or chronic stress. The fast-paced, high-stakes environment of cities like Lagos or Kano exacerbates this bias, as rushed judgments under pressure increase anxiety and reduce coping capacity. This can also perpetuate mental health stigma, as individuals may misinterpret others’ behaviors as “madness” without evidence, further isolating those with mental health challenges.
Why It’s Wrong: Jumping to conclusions is problematic because it relies on unverified assumptions, ignoring alternative explanations and undermining trust [5]. In Nigeria’s context, where patience and dialogue are valued in communal settings, this bias clashes with cultural norms, leading to miscommunications that strain mental health. It also fuels irrational decisions, such as avoiding opportunities due to unfounded fears, which can worsen economic and emotional stress in a resource-scarce society.
Effects in the Nigerian Context:
Relationships: In romantic or social relationships, jumping to conclusions creates conflict and emotional distress. A woman in Ibadan assumes her partner’s late reply means, “He’s cheating,” without asking about his workload. This accusation damages trust, causing relational stress and potential anxiety, especially in Nigeria’s patriarchal norms where women face heightened scrutiny.
Productivity: In Nigeria’s entrepreneurial landscape, this bias stifles innovation and mental resilience. A tech founder in Enugu assumes an investor’s delay means rejection and abandons the pitch, missing funding. This premature judgment heightens stress and self-doubt, contributing to burnout in a high-pressure startup ecosystem.
Life as a Whole: Jumping to conclusions fuels mistrust in Nigeria’s diverse society, worsening mental health outcomes. During interethnic interactions, someone might misinterpret a colleague’s curtness as tribal bias (e.g., “She’s rude because I’m Yoruba”), increasing social anxiety and division. This undermines social cohesion, critical for mental well-being in a country with over 250 ethnic groups.
Practical Examples of Impact on Mental Health
Emotional Reasoning in a Family Context:
Scenario: A mother feels anxious about her son’s unemployment and concludes, “He’s a failure.” She discourages his tech course, believing it’s futile. Her emotional reasoning reinforces her anxiety and projects it onto her son, who internalizes her judgment, developing low self-esteem and depressive symptoms.
Mental Health Impact: The son’s confidence erodes, increasing his risk of depression in a society where mental health support is scarce. The mother’s chronic worry may also escalate into generalized anxiety, straining family dynamics and perpetuating a cycle of emotional distress.
Jumping to Conclusions in a Workplace:
Scenario: A nurse assumes her supervisor’s lack of feedback means, “She thinks I’m incompetent.” She becomes defensive, avoiding teamwork, and her performance suffers. In reality, the supervisor is overwhelmed by hospital demands.
Mental Health Impact: The nurse’s paranoia fuels workplace anxiety, potentially leading to social phobia or burnout, common in Nigeria’s understaffed healthcare sector. Her strained relationship with her supervisor reduces social support, a key protective factor against mental health decline.
These examples highlight how these biases not only disrupt relationships and productivity but also directly contribute to mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, and low self-worth, particularly in Nigeria’s high-stress, low-resource context.
Solutions to Avoid These Biases and Support Mental Health
To mitigate emotional reasoning and jumping to conclusions, Nigerians can adopt culturally relevant, memorable strategies that counteract these biases while promoting mental well-being. These “tacky” solutions are designed to be practical, engaging, and aligned with Nigerian contexts, using humor and local analogies to ensure adoption. Each solution now emphasizes its mental health benefits.
Solutions for Emotional Reasoning
“Check Your Mood’s ID”:
What It Means: Like verifying ID at an Airport or Bank, pause to check if your emotion reflects reality. Ask, “Is this feeling the truth, or just a noisy guest?”
How to Do It: Write down the emotion (e.g., “I feel useless”) and list evidence for and against it (e.g., “I missed a deadline” vs. “I’ve met 10 others”). This CBT technique challenges distorted thoughts [7].
Mental Health Benefit: Reduces negative thought spirals, lowering anxiety and depression risk by grounding decisions in evidence, not fleeting emotions.
Example: A teacher may feel angry at a student’s silence, thinking, “He disrespects me.” Checking her mood’s ID, she lists evidence: the student is shy and grieving. She offers support, reducing her stress and fostering a positive connection, which boosts her emotional resilience.
“Jollof vs. Egusi Test”:
What It Means: Emotions are like preferring jollof rice over egusi soup—valid but not factual. Don’t let feelings dictate truth.
How to Do It: Label the emotion as “my jollof talking” and seek objective input (e.g., ask a friend or check facts). This aligns with mindfulness practices [8].
Mental Health Benefit: Enhances emotional regulation, preventing mood disorders by separating feelings from reality, crucial in Nigeria’s high-stress settings.
Example: A trader feels anxious about slow sales, thinking, “My business is ruined.” Applying the jollof test, she checks records, sees a seasonal dip, and adjusts her strategy, reducing anxiety and improving her mental clarity.
“Take a Suya Break”:
What It Means: Like stepping out for suya(beef kebab), take a 5-minute break to calm emotions before acting. Physical actions reduce emotional intensity [9].
How to Do It: Walk, drink water, or listen to your favorite track, then reassess your conclusion.
Mental Health Benefit: Lowers emotional reactivity, reducing stress and preventing impulsive decisions that could worsen mental health.
Example: During a family dispute, a man feels betrayed and wants to cut ties. He takes a suya break, calms down, and realizes his brother’s comment was a misunderstanding, preserving family support and reducing his emotional distress.
Solutions for Jumping to Conclusions
“Ask Like a Market Woman”:
What It Means: Nigerian market women ask questions to get the best deal. Before assuming, ask clarifying questions like you’re pricing fish or plantain.
How to Do It: Use open-ended questions (e.g., “Why did you seem upset?”) to gather facts, reflecting active listening [10].
Mental Health Benefit: Reduces paranoia and social anxiety by clarifying intentions, fostering trust and social connection, vital for mental health in Nigeria’s communal culture.
Example: A student assumes her lecturer ignored her email because he dislikes her. She asks, “Did you receive my email?” and learns his inbox was full, easing her anxiety and improving communication.
“Play a Detective”:
What It Means: Like a detective, gather evidence before concluding. Treat assumptions as hypotheses to test.
How to Do It: List three alternative explanations for a situation (e.g., “They’re busy, distracted, or unaware”). Choose the most evidence-based [11].
Mental Health Benefit: Decreases anticipatory anxiety and self-doubt by promoting rational thinking, enhancing mental clarity and confidence.
Example: A driver in Abuja thinks his boss is planning to fire him after a brief meeting. Acting like a detective, he considers: the boss was rushed, distracted, or unaware of his work. He seeks feedback, learns he’s valued, and reduces workplace stress.
“Wait for the Full Nollywood Plot”:
What It Means: Nollywood films reveal twists at the end. Don’t judge until you see the full story, avoiding hasty conclusions.
How to Do It: Delay judgment for 24 hours or until more information emerges, a debiasing strategy [12].
Mental Health Benefit: Prevents stress from premature negative predictions, fostering emotional stability and resilience, especially under Nigeria’s economic pressures.
Example: A woman assumes her friend snubbed her at a wedding. Waiting for the full plot, she learns her friend was handling a family crisis, preserving their friendship and reducing social anxiety.
Why These Solutions Work for Mental Health
These solutions are effective because they:
Target Cognitive Distortions: Evidence-based techniques like listing alternatives or checking emotions align with CBT, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression [7].
Are Culturally Accessible: Nigerian analogies make them relatable, encouraging adoption in a society where mental health literacy is low.
Enhance Emotional Regulation: Pausing or questioning assumptions lowers emotional arousal, preventing stress escalation [9].
Build Social Support: Clarifying intentions (e.g., “Ask Like a Market Woman”) strengthens relationships, a key mental health protective factor in Nigeria’s collectivist culture [13].
Broader Mental Health Implications in Nigeria
In Nigeria, emotional reasoning and jumping to conclusions are critical mental health concerns due to the country’s unique challenges:
Stigma and Resource Scarcity: With only 0.1 psychiatrists per 100,000 people and widespread stigma (70% of Nigerians view mental illness as shameful [14]), these biases exacerbate untreated distress, as individuals internalize negative emotions or misinterpret others’ behaviors as rejection.
Economic and Social Stress: High unemployment (33% in 2023 [6]), traffic congestion, and communal expectations amplify emotional reactivity and hasty judgments, increasing risks of anxiety, depression, and social conflict.
Cultural Dynamics: Collectivist norms prioritize group harmony, but these biases disrupt it by fostering misunderstandings, leading to isolation and reduced social support, a major mental health risk factor.
By addressing these biases with practical solutions, Nigerians can reduce psychological distress, improve coping skills, and foster resilience, contributing to better mental health outcomes in a resource-constrained society.
Conclusion
Emotional reasoning and jumping to conclusions are cognitive biases that distort reality and pose significant mental health concerns by intensifying negative emotions, fostering mistrust, and contributing to disorders like anxiety and depression. In Nigeria, these biases exacerbate distress in a high-stress, low-resource context, straining relationships, reducing productivity, and undermining well-being. Culturally tailored solutions like “Take a Suya Break” or “Ask Like a Market Woman” empower Nigerians to challenge these biases, improve emotional regulation, and enhance mental health. By integrating these strategies into daily life and community programs, the Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation creates awareness, educates, promotes resilience and reduce stigma, fostering a healthier society.
About the author:
Reverend Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu is the Executive Director, Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation. He holds a Level 3 Mental Health Diploma. He is a trained Grief and Bereavement Counsellor, Depression Counsellor, Emotional Intelligence Life Coach, and Couple Counsellor. Additionally, he is a SAMHI Dual Diagnosis Practitioner and an International Olympic Committee Sports Administrator.
Quotes and Sources
[1] Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263-291.
[2] Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York: Morrow. “Emotional reasoning is when you let your feelings guide your interpretation of reality.”
[3] Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. New York: International Universities Press. “Emotions are not facts; they are influenced by situational and physiological factors.”
[4] Burns, D. D. (1999). The Feeling Good Handbook. New York: Plume. “Jumping to conclusions involves making assumptions without evidence, such as mind reading or fortune telling.”
[5] Gilbert, P. (1998). Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques. London: Robinson. “Hasty judgments erode trust and create unnecessary conflict.”
[6] Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (2023). Labor Force Survey. “Unemployment reached 33% in 2023, amplifying economic stress.”
[7] Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond. New York: Guilford Press. “Challenging distorted thoughts with evidence is a core CBT technique.”
[8] Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. New York: Delacorte. “Mindfulness helps separate emotions from objective reality.”
[9] Gross, J. J. (1998). The Emerging Field of Emotion Regulation: An Integrative Review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271-299. “Physical actions like walking reduce emotional arousal.”
[10] Rogers, C. R. (1951). Client-Centered Therapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. “Active listening prevents misinterpretations by clarifying intentions.”
[11] Lilienfeld, S. O., et al. (2009). Giving Debiasing Away: Can Psychological Research on Correcting Cognitive Errors Promote Human Welfare? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(4), 390-398. “Considering alternative explanations reduces confirmation bias.”
[12] Soll, J. B., et al. (2015). Outsmart Your Own Biases. Harvard Business Review, 93(5), 64-71. “Delaying judgment allows for better evidence collection.”
[13] Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and Cognitive Monitoring: A New Area of Cognitive-Developmental Inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906-911. “Self-awareness is key to correcting cognitive biases.”
[14] World Health Organization (2020). Mental Health Atlas: Nigeria. “Nigeria has 0.1 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, and 70% view mental illness as shameful.”
These sources provide a robust foundation for understanding the biases and their mental health implications, tailored to Nigeria’s context. If you need specific program designs for the Cope and Live Foundation or further Nigerian case studies, let me know!
If things are getting out of hand, please call us on +234 814 831 8965 or send us an Email at: info@copeandlive.foundation