What is a Cause and Effect Paragraph?

In composition, cause and effect is a method of paragraph or essay development in which a

writer analyzes the reasons for- and/ or the consequences of- an action, event, or decision. A
cause-and-effect paragraph or essay can be organized in various ways.

What is the structure of cause and effect?

Cause and effect structure words are transition signals which show the cause and effect
relationships. It is important to be clear which is the cause (or reason) and which is the effect (or
result), and to use the correct transition word or phrase. Remember that a cause happens first,
and the effect happens later.

What is the most important step in writing a cause and effect

paragraph?
Choose an event or condition that you think has an interesting cause-and-effect relationship.
Introduce your topic in an engaging way. End your introduction with a thesis that states the main
cause, the main effect, or both.

How to Write a Cause and Effect Paragraph?

So, how to write a cause and effect paragraph? To succeed in this endeavor, one has to
demonstrate critical thinking skills, proper self-organization, and dedication. Below is the writing
process step by step and give helpful tips for success.

1. Brainstorm Topics
First, you must identify suitable cause and effect paragraph topics. Some things to consider as
potential subjects are cultural movements, natural phenomena, or the development of certain
concepts or ideas. The key tip for choosing a topic is ensuring that it enables you to observe
and analyze its causal relationship.

2. Come Up With a Thesis

Next, you need a thesis. A cause and effect thesis is basically a statement of a single (or
multiple) cause-and-effect relationship that is going to be discovered in the essay.

3. Develop Body Paragraphs

According to a standard cause and effect essay format, the body should consist of 2-5
paragraphs. Each body paragraph explores a specific facet of the causal relationship. At this
stage, you need to develop the core ideas for all paragraphs.

4. Write a Draft
Using the thesis and the ideas for body paragraphs you already have, write a draft of your
cause/effect essay. In your draft, create a logical flow of ideas using transitions, topic
sentences, and linking all your paragraphs back to your thesis. And, keep in mind the purpose
of your essay.

5. Review Your Draft

Typically, your first cause effect essay draft will still be raw and require revision. The questions
to ask are:

 Is my point of view clear?

 Do all examples highlight the cause-and-effect relationship of my subjects?
 Is it logical and convincing?
6. Write a Final Draft
After a careful revision, you can go straight to writing a cause and effect essay (the final draft).
At this stage, it is also time to write the conclusion of your essay if you still don’t have one. Make
sure your conclusion is clear, straight to the point, and relevant.

Cause and Effect Paragraph Example

Let’s look at the example of a cause and effect paragraph. It discusses the reasons for and
impact of social media addiction. First, we need to come up with the title and create an
introduction. It will provide some statistical data, which is used as a hook. Then, we familiarize
the reader with general information about the topic. Finally, we develop a thesis statement that
will summarize our argument clearly and concisely and focus on the effects of social media
overuse.
The Overuse of Social Media: Causes and Consequences
Interactions via social media impact our life and behavior. As Mohsin (2020) summarizes,
approximately half of the world population uses social media websites every day, and the
number of active users keeps growing. This has already turned into an addiction for some
people. Addiction because of the overuse of social media does not only take a lot of time and
become an annoying habit but also may lead to grave mental health problems, including
behavioral, emotional, and anxiety disorders.
Explanation: As our outline suggests, we move on to the discussion of the causes of social
media addiction. This takes separate paragraphs as we discuss two different claims:
biochemical reasons and poor awareness. As always, both paragraphs start with a distinct topic
sentence. The paragraphs include indirect quotations from reputable sources, which serve as
evidence that our claims are correct. In addition, we provide supporting ideas that underpin the
claim introduced in the topic sentence. The paragraph ends with a concluding sentence that
gives a summary of the main points.

People are always excited to get a notification about a new like, comment, or message. Why is
it so? There is an actual biochemical reason for it: the human brain releases dopamine.
According to Ahmad (2018), this makes people feel happy. It is attributed to the fact that “likes”
give people the impression of social validation. Thus, they feel accepted by the group of their
peers and get a sense of belonging. In the long term, the pleasure and excitement from virtual
interactions become addictive and make people spend a great deal of their time online,
rejecting to do other tasks and duties.  
Another reason for social media addiction is poor awareness of the problem among the public.
Compared to other forms of addiction, checking the Facebook feed does not seem that harmful.
However, as Ahmad (2018) reveals, it requires more effort to resist social media accounts than
alcohol or smoking. As people have a very low degree of awareness regarding the long-term
effects of constant social media use, they do not acknowledge the seriousness of the problem.
As a result, more and more users live their life in smartphones and disregard real-life
interactions, which has its consequences.  
Explanation: The last sentence of the previous paragraph includes a transition to the effects of
the discussed addiction. Thus, we follow the same paragraph structure to introduce and
develop our claims. This entails using a specific topic sentence, several pieces of evidence that
support the idea, comments regarding it, and a concluding sentence.

The negative effects of such addiction are numerous, but mental health is a top concern.
Zagorski (2017) states that social media provoke anxiety disorder, a sense of isolation, and
depression. People are likely to develop insecurity, poor self-esteem, and distorted body image,
comparing their appearance to unrealistic and photoshopped photos. If people do not get the
desired appreciation and recognition from others on social media, it lowers their sense of self-
value. Therefore, people become vulnerable to mental health issues.
Social media becomes an unwanted distraction from work, education, and home shores.
Notification from apps can easily interrupt your life and lead to procrastination. It impedes
progress and makes people less effective. Humans are likely to lose focus and spend their
productive hours in vain. Therefore, if people use messengers or other apps all the time, they
get distracted from important assignments.
Explanation: After the discussion part is done, we need to summarize our ideas in a concluding
paragraph. We restate our thesis statement and mention our most important findings.

To conclude, because of poor public awareness regarding the impact of social media on
psychological wellbeing, people are vulnerable to psychological problems. What is more, the
excitement of virtual interactions makes people addictive. In the long term, people become less
productive and less motivated to reach their goals.
Explanation: Writing a concluding paragraph may seem like a final step, but there is also a need
to format the reference page. Follow the requirements of your teacher and use one of the
styles. We use APA for this particular sample paper.

References
Ahmad, I. (2018, July 27). Why are we addicted to social media? [Infographic]. Social Media
Week. https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2018/07/why-are-we-addicted-to-social-media-
infographic/
Mohsin, M. (2020, February 7). 10 social media statistics you need to know in 2020
[Infographic]. Oberlo. https://www.oberlo.com/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics
Zagorski, N. (2017, January 17). Using many social media platforms linked with depression,
anxiety risk. Psychiatric News. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2017.1b16