Yes, anxiety can make you misread other people’s emotions.
Anxiety doesn’t just affect how you feel – it can also skew how you perceive others’ feelings.
If you’ve ever been convinced someone was upset with you (with little evidence) or felt sure you “saw” annoyance on a friend’s face when they were actually fine, you’re not alone.
This happens due to cognitive biases, hypervigilance to threat, and our mind’s tendency to jump to worst-case interpretations.
Download our free reflection sheet on this topic:
Misreading Emotions Reflection Sheet
This article explores why that happens, how it plays out in daily life, and what you can do to manage it. If you’ve ever thought, “Everyone seems upset with me,” this might explain why—and offer some relief.
Why Anxiety Distorts Emotional Perception
Anxiety puts your brain on high alert. When you’re anxious, your body activates its threat-detection system, preparing you to fight or flee.
But in social settings, this heightened vigilance can lead to false alarms. Neutral or ambiguous cues—a flat tone, a tired face—can seem threatening.
Anxiety may prime you to see something dangerous when there is no danger. In social situations, the danger may take the form of perceived upset.
This sensitivity is tied to the amygdala, the brain’s emotion-processing center. In anxious individuals, the amygdala tends to overreact, flagging potential threats—even when they’re not real.
Psychologists have noted that people with social anxiety disorder, for example, have an attentional bias toward negative social cues, as if they are always bracing for rejection or criticism.
They enter ordinary interactions “on edge” and ready to interpret ambiguous acts (a yawn, a moment of silence, a neutral expression) as proof that others are judging them harshly
In a study by Azoulay et al. (2020), people with social anxiety noticed angry or disapproving expressions more quickly than others. But they were less accurate at detecting when those expressions faded or changed to something neutral or positive.
This suggests that anxiety tunes people to focus on the bad and overlook the good. The anxious mind might barely register a friend’s smile or acceptance, yet it will zoom in on a tiny hint of irritation.
Common Thinking Errors That Fuel Misreading
Anxiety often warps your perception, like looking at life through a distorted mirror. Several well-documented cognitive biases can influence the way anxious individuals interpret the world around them, especially in social or ambiguous situations.
Negative Interpretation Bias
One of the most common anxiety-related cognitive distortions is negative interpretation bias—the tendency to view unclear or neutral situations as negative or threatening.
Anxious people can struggle to distinguish between safe and dangerous cues, often assuming the worst even when the signal is neutral.
For example, a person with anxiety might misread a neutral facial expression or tone of voice as a sign of anger or disapproval. This bias primes the brain to expect danger, making everyday situations feel more threatening than they really are.
Mind Reading (Jumping to Conclusions)
Another powerful bias in anxiety is mind reading, also known as jumping to conclusions. This happens when you assume you know what someone else is thinking—usually something negative—even though there’s no concrete evidence.
Imagine sending a text to a friend and receiving a short “Okay” in response. An anxious mind might immediately conclude, “She’s mad at me” or “I must’ve done something wrong.”
In reality, your friend might just be busy or tired. But anxiety makes it feel personal. This type of thinking leads you to treat imagined negative thoughts from others as fact, fueling unnecessary worry.
Overgeneralization and Catastrophizing
Two other common thinking traps in anxiety are overgeneralization and catastrophizing.
Overgeneralization involves drawing broad negative conclusions from a single event, while catastrophizing means expecting the worst possible outcome.
For instance, if a coworker frowns while walking past your desk, your anxious brain might think, “They’re upset with me,” or even spiral to “I’m about to be fired.”
Instead of considering that the person might be having a rough day or thinking about something unrelated, your mind jumps straight to the worst-case scenario. These patterns can magnify minor incidents into full-blown emotional crises.
Examples of Misreading Emotions
Below are a few examples that show how anxiety can shape—and often skew—our emotional interpretations.
“I Always Believe Everyone Is Mad at Me”
This honest confession from a forum user perfectly captures anxiety’s tendency to jump to worst-case scenarios.
She wrote, “My anxiety makes me believe in the worst-case scenarios all the time. For some reason, my mind makes me think people are mad at me.”
Even in neutral interactions, she found herself convinced that she’d upset someone. Often, nothing is wrong—but the anxious brain insists there must be.
Overanalyzing Facial Expressions and Tone
Another common anxiety response is obsessing over subtle shifts in someone’s tone or expression.
One person described a visit to her doctor where the doctor seemed less engaged than usual. Her immediate thought? “She didn’t want to be my doctor anymore.”
In reality, the doctor was probably just having an off day—and everything returned to normal at the next appointment.
The Texting Nightmare
Texting can be especially tricky for anxious minds. Without body language or vocal tone, it’s easy to misread someone’s intent. A delayed response or a short reply can feel emotionally loaded.
You might text, “Are we still on for tonight?” and get back a quick “Yep.” Instead of taking it as a simple yes, your mind might spiral into, “They’re mad… Did I upset them?”
Social Settings and Neutral Faces
Social gatherings can be especially challenging. You might notice two people glance your way during a conversation and immediately think, “They’re talking about me. They must think I’m awkward.”
In truth, they could be discussing anything—or simply checking in on you. Anxiety often makes it hard to trust neutral or even positive signals.
Someone with social anxiety may see a blank expression as judgment or a quiet moment as boredom.
How to Tell If You’re Misreading Others
When you start to feel anxious, run through this list of questions:
- Am I assuming I know what they feel without checking?
- Is there actual evidence, or am I guessing based on a small cue?
- Could this have a non-threatening explanation?
- Has this pattern shown up before?
Awareness is the first step. When you notice the pattern, you create space to respond differently.
Practical Strategies to See Others More Clearly
1. Pause and Gather More Evidence
When anxiety flares up, your instinct might be to panic and react—but try to hit pause. Take a breath and ask yourself: “Am I sure?”
Instead of immediately assuming someone is upset with you, look for other cues or wait for more context.
Your friend might be tired, not angry. Your coworker might have walked away because something urgent came up—not because you were boring.
2. Consider Alternative (Non-Threatening) Explanations
Challenge your initial interpretation by brainstorming neutral or positive alternatives:
- Coworker didn’t say hi? Maybe they didn’t see you.
- Partner used a flat tone? Maybe they’re just tired.
- No text back? Maybe they’re busy or distracted.
This reframing technique, often used in cognitive-behavioral therapy, helps counter anxiety’s tendency to leap to negative conclusions.
3. Don’t Treat Feelings as Facts
Anxiety makes emotional reactions feel like absolute truths—but feelings are not facts. Just because you feel certain someone is annoyed doesn’t mean they are.
CBT teaches that labeling these thoughts (“I think she’s mad at me”) as possible distortions, rather than facts, can reduce their power.
Saying, “I’m anxious, so my perception might be off right now,” helps you step back and see the situation more clearly.
4. Practice Self-Awareness of Your Triggers
Knowing your anxiety patterns helps you catch misinterpretations early. Catch yourself by asking, “Could my anxiety be making me misread this?”
If you know new social situations tend to trigger fears of judgment, recognize that pattern as a red flag.
That awareness allows you to pause, question your assumptions, and apply earlier strategies like reframing.
5. Communicate and Verify When Appropriate
Sometimes, the best way to clear up doubt is to ask. A simple check-in like, “Hey, you seemed quiet earlier—are we okay?” can relieve a lot of unnecessary stress.
It’s often better to clarify than to sit with uncertainty. This works best with close relationships rather than acquaintances, but open, respectful communication often brings relief.
6. Ground Yourself and Address the Anxiety
Since anxiety is the root issue, calming your body and mind can help shift your interpretations. Try:
- Deep breathing
- Grounding exercises (focus on sights, sounds, or textures around you)
- Journaling to clarify thoughts
For long-term support, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly effective. A therapist can help you identify distorted thoughts and teach you to respond more rationally.
Online support groups and self-help resources are also valuable tools for learning to cope.
7. Give Positive Cues a Chance to Land
Anxiety often filters out neutral or positive signals. Train yourself to notice them:
- Did the person smile later?
- Did your friend eventually reply kindly?
- Did your feared outcome not happen?
Keep a record of these reassuring moments. For example: “I thought Alice was mad, but she just had a headache.”
Over time, this builds a library of counterexamples to anxiety’s narrative and helps retrain your brain to weigh positive evidence more fairly.
Final Thoughts
Yes, anxiety can absolutely make you misread other people’s emotions. It’s not because you’re overdramatic or fragile. It’s because your brain is trying to keep you safe—but ends up seeing threats that aren’t there.
The more you understand this, the more power you have to pause, reframe, and connect with others from a place of clarity rather than fear.
You’re not imagining it. But you can change it. And that starts with noticing, questioning, and giving yourself (and others) the benefit of the doubt.
References
Azoulay, R., Berger, U., Keshet, H., Niedenthal, P. M., & Gilboa-Schechtman, E. (2020). Social anxiety and the interpretation of morphed facial expressions following exclusion and inclusion. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 66, 101511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101511
