When students encounter information that conflicts with their existing knowledge, they may experience dissonance, motivating them to re-evaluate their understanding and learn new concepts. To reduce this discomfort, individuals engage in post-decision rationalization, where they convince themselves they made the right choice. This might involve focusing on the positive aspects https://www.ankaragreyderkiralama.com/you-are-what-you-eat-6-smelly-foods-that-are/ of the chosen option and downplaying the advantages of the alternatives. Specifically, a study conducted by Stice and Shaw (2002) found that participants who were dissatisfied with their body image experienced cognitive dissonance when consuming high-calorie foods, such as pizza and ice cream. This dissonance was further exacerbated when participants were asked to rate their level of enjoyment while consuming these foods.

Dissonance that Results from Wanting Something We Can’t Have

• As you continue your research journey, whether it’s for a particular project or to gain deeper insights into your business landscape, embrace the theory of cognitive dissonance.
• However, for the mild punishment children, it was a more difficult decision.
• However, subsequent research has supported the existence of cognitive dissonance and its unique explanatory power.
• Try to build an exercise routine that you genuinely enjoy so you’re more likely to stick with it.

Stepping outside of that school system and “unlearning” can be a scary and uncomfortable process. If you spent your entire childhood learning that evolution was simply one theory of how we came to earth, it might be Alcoholics Anonymous a shock to your system to go to college and discover that many teachers don’t teach anything besides evolution. When the world didn’t end, the cult’s followers had to choose between wanting to believe in their leader and acknowledging that the world, in fact, did not end. The cult’s followers ended up changing their beliefs and saying that their devotion to the cult was the reason the world did not end. This allowed them to continue believing in and trusting their cult leader while accepting the fact that the world had not ended. Evidence-based therapy involves interventions that are scientifically proven to be effective for particular issues.

Balance theory

To restore equilibrium between conflicting beliefs, people often introduce new, reinforced concepts that strike a balance between comfort and discomfort in their decision-making. When you understand how cognitive dissonance impacts your target audience, you can begin to explore ways to resolve those feelings of discomfort. Businesses should promote a positive organizational culture that aligns with their stated values. This will help to reduce the amount of cognitive dissonance employees experience between their personal values and those promoted by the company, boosting morale and productivity. Consumers often experience cognitive dissonance when making purchasing decisions based on price. If they perceive a product as too expensive, but they still buy it, they may feel dissonance between the price paid and the product’s perceived value.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Today

This dissonance may be reduced by changing the beliefs to match the new information or by rejecting the information altogether. This can lead to choice-induced attitude change, where individuals may make bad decisions that are not in their best interest. Choice-induced attitude change is another common reaction, where people shift their beliefs after making a decision to make their choices feel justified. This concept has been explored widely, from experiments in induced compliance to studies of consumer habits and even the rise of eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social pressure and self-perception theory also play roles in how people cope with these internal conflicts, demonstrating that we often go to great lengths to achieve a sense of internal harmony. In fact, recent research has suggested that while a discrepancy between cognitions drives individuals to crave attitude-consistent information, the experience of negative emotions drives individuals to avoid counter attitudinal information.

How does cognitive dissonance affect mental health?

It’s the conflict between two different realities; for example, your beliefs or values and your actions or behaviors. This same scenario could be about a buddy who cognitive dissonance and addiction has starkly different political beliefs or maybe is unkind to their spouse or too stern with their children. If the situation bothers you enough, you may justify it to yourself, change your personal beliefs, or maybe change your beliefs about the person and end the relationship.