This is one of "22 virus definitions" (thought-mistakes that cause ineffectiveness and unnecessary negative emotions).

SOMETIMES, only because we haven’t really thought about it, we make really dumb mistakes in our thinking. For example, “I really feel afraid. That must mean there is something to be afraid of.” This is called emotional reasoning. It is fairly common and fairly idiotic. Our emotions are a response to our thoughts. We cannot then take them for evidence.

A woman I know is afraid of flying. She gets anxious while she is on a plane. When I talked to her about it, she said, "Something bad might happen while we're in the air."

"What makes you think so?" I asked her.

"I feel afraid. The fear is my body warning me of danger." This is an example of using emotions as evidence.

This article is part of the series, Antivirus For Your Mind.