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cognitive dissonance

The mental discomfort or stress experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or ideas, or when their behavior conflicts with their beliefs.

Examples:

  • After double-checking her bag for her wallet, she felt a wave of cognitive dissonance as she wondered if she had truly locked the door.
  • When I left the house, I experienced cognitive dissonance because I remembered turning the stove off but wasn't completely sure.

recall bias

A type of cognitive bias that affects the accuracy of our memories, particularly when we're trying to remember specific actions or events from the past.

Examples:

  • Her uncertainty about whether she had turned off the oven was a classic example of recall bias, making her question her memory.
  • Recall bias can often make individuals feel anxious about everyday tasks, like whether they left the heater on.

mental checklist

A technique used to ensure that all important tasks or components of a process have been remembered and completed.

Examples:

  • Before leaving for work, I mentally went through my checklist: keys, phone, and whether I turned off the stove.
  • Using a mental checklist helped him to remember all the little things he needed to do before leaving the house.

rumination

The act of continuously thinking about the same thoughts, often negative, which can lead to anxiety or distress.

Examples:

  • Her rumination over whether she had turned off the stove led to a stressful morning, even after she had left the house.
  • He found that rumination on small decisions, like appliances being off or on, could ruin his day.

second-guessing

To doubt or question one's own decisions or actions after the fact, often leading to anxiety about whether the choice was correct.

Examples:

  • I always second-guess myself about whether I locked the front door after I leave, and it's exhausting.
  • Second-guessing whether I turned off the stove led to me running back home to check, even when I was already late.