The Returned Paper

≈ 4 min

Read the monologue below. Identify (a) the single cognitive distortion it shows, and (b) the exact phrase that signals it. This is a puzzle — the speaker is a fictional, invented person. This is not therapy or advice.

The scene

A secondary school corridor where a student has just received a graded history essay.

In the differential

Catastrophising
Fortune-telling
Magnification / Minimisation
Overgeneralisation
No distortion — a reasonable reaction

Play today’s Distortion.

This case first aired on October 10, 2026. A fresh distortion runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.

Open today’s distortion Browse the archive