The Fifty-Fifty Ball

≈ 6 min

Read the monologue below. Identify (a) the single cognitive distortion in the speaker's reasoning, and (b) the exact phrase that signals it. This is a puzzle about thinking patterns — the person and situation are entirely invented. It is not a diagnosis or advice.

The scene

A first football match back after knee surgery

In the differential

Personalisation
Fortune-telling
Emotional reasoning
Overgeneralisation
No distortion — a reasonable reaction

Play today’s Distortion.

This case first aired on August 14, 2026. A fresh distortion runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.

Open today’s distortion Browse the archive