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How do we interpret social situations marked by ambiguity?

Imagine sending a message to a friend, and hours pass without a reply. Did you do something wrong? Are they upset? Or are they simply busy? Every day, we face moments like these: ambiguous social situations that leave us wondering what others think or feel. How we interpret these moments can shape our emotions, thoughts, social connections, and our own behavior, and can even impact our mental health. In this article, we review recent research from our team that sheds light on how people make sense of such ambiguous social cues, and why some of us tend to interpret them in ways that fuel depression and anxiety. By understanding these distorted interpretation patterns, we can better grasp how mental health disorders develop and persist. / more