Cognitive Dissonance
The psychological discomfort that arises when one's beliefs and actions, or two beliefs, contradict each other. People will distort facts to maintain consistency in order to relieve this discomfort.
What Is Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a concept proposed by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, referring to the uncomfortable state of tension that arises when two contradictory cognitions (beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors) coexist within a person. Knowing that "smoking is bad for my health" while continuing to smoke. Declaring "I'm on a diet" while eating cake. The unease generated by these contradictions is cognitive dissonance.
Strategies for Reducing Dissonance
Humans tend to find this discomfort hard to sit with, so they seek to resolve the dissonance by some means. There are three main strategies. First, change the behavior (quit smoking). Second, change the cognition ("My grandfather smoked and lived to 90" - emphasizing exceptions). Third, add new cognitions ("It relieves stress, so it's actually a net positive for health" - rationalizing). In most cases, changing cognition is psychologically cheaper than changing behavior, so people tend to drift toward distorting their interpretation of facts. This is one reason why clearly irrational beliefs are so resistant to correction.
The Everyday Impact of Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is also thought to influence purchasing behavior. The impulse to convince yourself "I definitely made the right choice" after an expensive purchase (post-purchase rationalization) is a dissonance-reduction behavior. Likewise, the tendency to assign inflated value to something you invested great effort in (effort justification) is likewise explained as a product of dissonance. Groups with more grueling initiation rituals tend to inspire a stronger sense of belonging, which is explained by the dissonance-reduction mechanism kicking in: "I went through all that suffering, so this group must be worth it." When reflecting on your own judgments and actions, asking "Do I truly believe this, or am I just trying to resolve dissonance?" is a first step toward intellectual honesty.
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