Cognitive Dissonance – What is it, and How can one deal with it?

Have you ever been in a peculiar situation where you do something the exact opposite of what you believe? Almost every individual would have been in this position at some point. For example, you know that smoking is injurious to health. Besides, every cigarette packet has this statutory warning. Yet, you get these cigarettes in shops and smoke them, although you endanger your health and that of others around you.

Welcome to the World of Cognitive Dissonance. Let us discuss what it is and how one should deal with it.

What is Cognitive Dissonance?

Cognitive Dissonance is a psychological discomfort people feel when their values and beliefs are not on the same frequency as their behavior. In simple words, it occurs when people hold contradictory ideas simultaneously. The credit for identifying and naming this behavior goes to an American psychologist, Leon Festinger.

Some examples of cognitive dissonance

We have already seen the example of smoking cigarettes when you know it is dangerous to your health. We shall look at a couple more examples so everyone can identify with them correctly.

1. Now it is COVID time. So, everyone knows that wearing a mask is essential to protect oneself in public. But how many people wear it? It is a classic example of cognitive dissonance.
2. Have you heard of the meat paradox? Many people consider themselves animal lovers. But the first dish they order in a restaurant is a meat dish.

The above examples show that every person in this world would have experienced cognitive dissonance. So, what are the signs of Cognitive Dissonance?

Cognitive Dissonance – The Tell-tale Signs

Since everyone experiences cognitive dissonance, it is challenging to identify and recognize its signs. However, these behavioral signs can let you know you are experiencing Cognitive Dissonance.

1. You need to decide one way or the other but feel a sense of discomfort in doing so.
2. You feel embarrassed about things you have done and try to hide your actions from others.
3. You experience regret or feel guilty about something you have done in the past.
4. You try to justify your actions even though you know they are wrong.
5. Do things out of compulsion, social pressure, or a fear of missing out, even though it is not something you want to do.

What causes Cognitive Dissonance? We can write an entire book on this topic however there are some obvious signs.

Cognitive Dissonance – Causes

Cognitive dissonance can sometimes be unavoidable. People can only sometimes choose to behave in ways that match their beliefs. The most renowned causes of cognitive dissonance are as follows.

• Forceful compliance – Circumstances can compel you to do something you would not do otherwise. Maybe, there can be legal compulsions. For example, children decide to pursue engineering because their parents force them to do it, even though their interests would be in some other discipline.
• Decision-making – The most common cause of cognitive dissonance is decision-making. It can occur when you have several options you do not like, and the only viable option is the one you disagree with. For example, parents agree with their child’s choice of marriage partner, even though they might disapprove of it.
• Effort – Generally, people value things for which they have worked hard, even if it contradicts their values. Usually, thinking negatively about something you have worked hard to achieve causes more dissonance.
• Addiction – A critical cause of cognitive dissonance is addiction. For example, a person undergoing correctional therapy for drug or alcohol addiction can suffer a relapse because the urge to consume the psychoactive substance is challenging to overcome.
• Money – People do many things contrary to their beliefs and values to earn money. For example, film stars and other influential people advertise cigarettes and liquor despite knowing the harm they can cause to people. The irony is that they might not smoke or drink themselves.

Cognitive Dissonance – The Effects

People can feel uneasy or uncomfortable when they experience cognitive dissonance. Higher the disparity between their beliefs and behavior, the more uncomfortable they feel. For example, your company promotes and transfers you to a distant place. The salary hike is good, but you will be away from your family for two years. So, your heart would not be in the job, but your mind would have to be. This conflict between the heart and the mind is cognitive dissonance.

People can manifest this discomfort in various ways.

• They might feel anxious and sad and experience stress.
• They could feel embarrassed and regret their actions.
• There could be a sense of shame, leading to a loss of self-esteem.

So, what is the impact of Cognitive Dissonance?

Since people do not wish to experience discomfort, Cognitive Dissonance can impact their behavior in multiple ways. For example, it can determine how they act, think, or make critical decisions. So, a person experiencing cognitive dissonance might do these things to cope with the negative feelings.

• They could adopt ideas or beliefs justifying the conflict between their thoughts and behavior. It could lead to blaming others.
• They might hide their beliefs from others and put up a happy face to show they enjoy the situation, while the truth would be the contrary.
• Alternatively, they could seek information that confirms their existing beliefs, leading to a situation known as confirmation bias. While this situation affects their thinking ability, it minimizes feelings of dissonance.

Finally, we come to the solutions for Cognitive Dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance – The Solution

Since Cognitive Dissonance is a conflict between beliefs and behavior, the only way to resolve it is to either change the opinions or the behavior to be in consonance with the situation. But changing the behavior would result in changing the action. That can be problematic. Therefore, the ideal solution to Cognitive Dissonance is to change the ideas/beliefs. We can do it in three ways.

• Change the existing beliefs – Changing the opinion can help bring it and the behavior on the same frequency. But it is the most challenging option of the three.
• Add new ideas to dilute the existing ones – Adding new ideas that resonate with your behavior can help reduce the effects of cognitive dissonance. For example, you know smoking cigarettes causes cancer. So, if we introduce e-smoking or vaping, you might quit smoking and get hooked on the new habit.
• Reducing the impact of the thoughts/ideas – The best way to reduce cognitive dissonance is to make the chosen alternative more attractive than the rejected one. For example, you know the ill effects of a sedentary lifestyle. You can reduce the impact by thinking of healthy behaviors like exercising or sensible eating.

Finally..

Cognitive dissonance is something that one lives with almost every day. The conflict between the heart and the mind is always present. At times, listening to your heart is better than being rational. Similarly, listening to your mind is sometimes better than being emotional. So every individual should find the right balance to be happy in life.