By: Michael Puskar
Updated February 11, 2021
Medically Reviewed By: Whitney White, MS. CMHC, NCC., LPC
Have you ever felt a sense of mental tension, but you weren't sure where it was coming from? This could be cognitive dissonance, a psychological phenomenon that may be hard to recognize when you experience it. Fortunately, the field of psychology can shed some light on this uncomfortable mental state. This article will present an overview of cognitive dissonance and some treatments that help relieve its psychological stress.
This website is owned and operated by BetterHelp, who receives all fees associated with the platform.
Source: freepik.com
What Is Cognitive Dissonance?
So how does psychology define cognitive dissonance? It helps to look at the meanings of each word in the term. "Cognitive" refers to mental activity. It can mean thinking, learning, perceiving, believing, or intuiting. You may recognize "dissonance" as a word that is sometimes used in music to mean two or more musical notes that lack harmony and create a sense of tension when they are played together.
Therefore, cognitive dissonance is when two thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors are so out of harmony that they make you feel psychologically uncomfortable.
Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Let's take a look at the original theory of cognitive dissonance, created in 1957 by social psychologist Leon Festinger. Festinger read about a cult that believed the world would soon end in a cataclysmic flood. He wondered: what would the cult members think when the world didn't end? So, he and some colleagues went undercover and managed to be accepted into the group. Their goal was to observe what would happen next.
What Festinger and his colleagues discovered was psychologically groundbreaking. The people who were less committed to the beliefs of the group simply accepted that they'd made a mistake and learned a lesson. However, the staunchest believers had a different response. They didn't accept that their beliefs had been proven false. In fact, they began to work harder to gain new members for their cult.
Later, Festinger conducted experiments to find out more about this type of phenomenon. In one scenario, people were asked to lie and tell others that a boring job was interesting. Those who were paid $20 for this lie still believed that the task was boring after they lied about it. But the people who only received $1 for the lie changed their thoughts and became convinced the task was actually interesting. Not only did they lie about it, but they began to believe the lie.
Source: freepik.com
This result clearly illustrates what came to be known as Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory. The $20 liars had no reason to change their thinking, as the amount they were paid rewarded them amply enough for acting in a way that contradicted their beliefs, resolving any mental tension. However, the $1 liars had to change their thinking to relieve the mental tension created when their actions didn't sync with their thoughts, because there was no real reward for doing so. Festinger proposed that people have a drive for their attitudes and behaviors to be consistent. When their thoughts and behaviors are inconsistent, they change something so they can get back into mental harmony.
Examples Of Cognitive Dissonance
Once you understand what cognitive dissonance is, you will be able to find examples all around you, including things you may have thought and done. Here are two common examples of this phenomenon.
Smoking
Engaging in unhealthy habits generally causes cognitive dissonance. Smoking is a prime example. If you know smoking causes cancer but you choose to smoke, your behavior is inconsistent with your knowledge. To resolve this mental conflict, you will likely tell yourself a story. You might focus, for example, on someone you know who smoked for decades and never got sick, rather than let yourself think about how many people have died from lung cancer.
Or you might say to yourself that everyone dies eventually, even if they only do things that are healthy. That sounds reasonable enough that you accept it and keep smoking. Yet you don't go around tempting fate in other ways. So, the dissonance is still there, even if you don't recognize it.
Exercise
Cognitive dissonance isn't always harmful. It can also occur when you're making positive changes. Consider what happens when you decide to start exercising. Beginning a fitness routine can be grueling, especially if you've been sedentary for years. It's unfamiliar, uncomfortable, tiring, time consuming, and maybe even painful.
Source: freepik.com
You have one voice in your head that says you don't want to experience that discomfort, and another one that insists it's good for you. To reduce your mental conflict, you may convince yourself that you like exercising even though it's physically uncomfortable. If you're successful in changing your fitness habits, this inner conflict is only temporary. The more you stick with the plan, the fitter you become. The exercise becomes more familiar and less physically uncomfortable. You experience the rewards of good health. These new thoughts align well with the fitness behaviors you've adopted.
Treatments For Cognitive Dissonance
When your thoughts and behaviors don't align, you can take one of two approaches to reduce or eliminate the cognitive dissonance. You can change either your beliefs or your behavior. To alter either, you need to choose different thoughts. Thus, cognitive-behavioral therapy is especially useful for resolving cognitive dissonance.
Standard Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy relies on the assumption that thoughts create feelings, and feelings influence behavior. So, during CBT, your therapist helps you examine your thoughts in the interest of making healthy behavioral changes. You talk about what is distressing to you. Then, with the help of your counselor, you examine your thoughts about the situation in question. Finally, you take a closer look at those thoughts and determine whether they're accurate and rational. If not, you decide to change them.
When your thoughts and behaviors conflict, you can examine that disparity and decide what to do about it. You might not have to do anything except recognize it. Just understanding what's happening may make you feel better. So, in the exercise example above, you might decide that "Yes, I'm feeling cognitive dissonance, but I still want to stay on my fitness plan. These feelings are temporary anyway, and the benefits far outweigh the psychological discomfort." That recognition is important. Without it, you might try to resolve the disharmony by quitting your program or self-sabotaging in some other way.
Standard cognitive-behavioral therapy can also encourage you to find new information that bridges the two incompatible elements. Your therapist can help you examine which of the behaviors and thoughts is most important to you. When you focus on what's important, the dissonance diminishes.
Rational Living Therapy
Rational Living Therapy (RLT) is a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy. It's based on the idea that it's your thoughts about people and things that influence your feelings, not the people and things themselves. Like standard cognitive-behavioral therapy, RLT focuses on changing unhelpful thoughts.
Source: freepik.com
An RLT counselor can help you understand that feelings don't always reflect the truth. They use the Socratic method and may even speed up the process through hypnotherapy. The therapist asks you questions designed to help you understand important aspects of situations, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Ultimately, they guide you to discover for yourself that you can control your feelings by changing your thoughts. With this newfound knowledge, you're ready to start making the necessary changes to improve your mental harmony.
Seeking Help With BetterHelp
A defining characteristic of cognitive dissonance is that it's psychologically distressing—it feels uncomfortable. Yet its damage can go beyond feelings. When cognitive dissonance drives your behavior, it can alter the course of your life. If you notice that you're feeling mental tension or doing things you don't understand, you may find help by talking to a therapist. Or you may already know where the dissonance lies but not how to resolve it. In that case, a counselor can help you resolve the tension and teach you how to do it better on your own in the future.
Research shows online counseling is as an effective method of treatment for those seeking to address issues with cognitive dissonance. In one study, for example, researchers examined the effects of online dissonance-based therapy when helping to treat individuals living with eating disorders. The participants were urged to form a more negative association with the notion that an ideal body is a thin body. Researchers found that this type of therapy, informed by cognitive dissonance theory, helped lead to less body dissatisfaction, reduced depression, and a decrease in internalization of the thin-body ideal. They concluded that online dissonance-based therapy can be a useful means of helping individuals overcome eating disorders.
As discussed above, if you’re experiencing difficult-to-process feelings that may be arising out of cognitive dissonance, online therapy can help. With online therapy through BetterHelp, you’ll have access to thousands of licensed professionals, so you’ll have a better chance of matching with someone who knows how to help you address your specific concerns. And because online therapists don’t work out of offices, it’s often a more affordable option. BetterHelp memberships start at $60 per week, and you can cancel anytime. A qualified mental health professional can help you better understand your mind and how it operates. Read the reviews in the next section to see how BetterHelp has helped others work with their thoughts and feel better.
Counselor Reviews
"I enjoy the email exchange I have with Dr. Mayfield. Her questions are helping me learn to understand why I do what I do. Now we are working on ways to change behaviors, by changing my thoughts. This is meaningful work."
"I have come a long way. With the help of Alexis, I have accomplished things I thought I'd never do. I am glad I did this; it has benefited me so much. With the guidance and encouragement of Alexis, I am more confident in myself and I see a clear path to success and happiness. I have learned to control myself and not doubt myself. It is hard to let go but I know I will be fine and if I need she will still be here for me. Thank you Alexis you have truly helped me change my life. I am so grateful. I wish you the best!"
Conclusion
Cognitive dissonance can be burdensome, but therapy can help. Through the therapeutic process, you can take control of your thoughts and change behaviors that are causing mental discomfort. Then you can live a life that is not only aligned with your values, but also increases your psychological and physical health. Take the first step today.
FAQs
What is cognitive dissonance therapy?
Cognitive dissonance was first coined in 1957 by Leon Festinger. Festinger stated that humans strive to live in harmony and when their belief systems align with their actions, they have achieved that harmony. However, when that harmony does not happen, cognitive dissonance occurs, meaning, we begin to experience inner turmoil and feelings of stress, and will usually strive to bring things back into harmony.
When a person is aware that their beliefs and behaviors are not in line with each other, people tend to experience a great deal of stress, dread, and anger. If a person doesn’t feel able to change their experience of cognitive dissonance, their mental health can deteriorate. When people start to feel stuck in a situation where their beliefs and behaviors are in misalignment, speaking to a therapist can prove to be extremely helpful. Therapists can help the person understand and unpack “the narrative” that is being told about their life and can offer ways of looking at or reacting to the situation that the person might not have thought about. A therapist might also be able to assist in coming with an action plan to help change either the belief or behavior that is causing the dissonance.
Why cognitive dissonance is bad?
Cognitive dissonance can be problematic when destructive behaviors are justified or rationalized. Additionally, if a person begins feeling extreme levels of stress or anxiety by trying to rationalize the dissonance. When cognitive dissonance goes unaddressed, it can lead to impaired decision-making and lead to more stress and nervousness than if the behavior had been addressed initially.
Is cognitive dissonance a disorder?
Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs when a person’s behaviors and beliefs do not align with each other. It may also happen when a person holds two beliefs that contradict one another. Cognitive dissonance causes feelings of tension, stress, nervousness, and unease. It is normal psychological stress that is associated with having to choose between opposing beliefs or behaviors. Cognitive dissonance is not a disorder, but it can still cause discomfort, stress, and anxiety, which is why seeking professional help can be beneficial.
What is cognitive dissonance in relationships?
Cognitive dissonance is the psychological theory that describes two or more opposing beliefs and the discomfort that comes from holding those differing, conflicting beliefs. Cognitive dissonance can affect all relationships in different ways. Since the beliefs we have change and evolve over time, it is not unusual for us to encounter differences between ourselves and our friends and romantic partners that were not there before. When it comes to any relationship, when cognitive dissonance is present, you’ll start to weigh the benefits of the relationship against the behaviors or beliefs that no longer align with yours.
When it comes to romantic relationships, an article by the American Psychological Association states that sometimes dealing with an accepting a bit of dissonance can help make a marriage last. This is because people in happy marriages tend to give their partner the benefit of the doubt and focus on things that make their spouse wonderful rather than focusing on their shortcomings.
What are the 4 types of relationships?
A recent study found that in general, relationships can be sorted into four groups. The first is the dramatic couple. This is the most common type of couple in the study – these partners experience the most change in their level of commitment over the course of the relationship. Dramatic couples were the rated lowest in emotional intimacy section out of all the groups in the study.
The conflict couple experience more fights than other couples. These couples share little-to-no common interests and spent the majority of their free time with friends as opposed to each other.
The social couple shares the same friends and social networks. They have a more “friendship-based” love compared to other couples and they have a lot in common with each other.
Finally, partner-focused couples have the highest level of relationship satisfaction out of all of the four types. They tend to spend the majority of their free time together, share many common interests, have the strongest level of commitment, and are the most likely of all relationship types to marry.
What are some examples of cognitive dissonance?
Humans typically want their worlds to make sense, which is why cognitive dissonance can be so distressing. When we are faced with two values that don’t align with one another, we try to make sense of them by justifying either the behavior or the belief so that they come back into alignment.
For example, you walk your dog every day and always take plastic bags with you to clean up after your pup. One day, you realize you forgot the bags at home and you’re already halfway through the walk. Your dog decides to do his business. You look around and see nobody else on the street so you leave it there, knowing that it is just one time. When you get home, you feel guilty for not cleaning up after your dog. You know it’s not right to leave your dog’s mess because someone could step in it or it could ruin your neighbor’s front lawn. You tell yourself that it’s just one time, you already replaced the bags and you’ll always pick up after your dog in the future. Besides, plenty of other people forget to pick up after their dog and if they don’t clean up after theirs why should you.
Another example could be that you consider yourself to love animals. You have always had pets, you’re vegetarian and you refuse to purchase any items that have been tested on animals. However, your best friend loves meat and refuses to try vegetarian restaurants when you suggest going to one and insists on eating meat while commenting on how weird it is that you don’t eat meat. Your friend also insists on buying you products that have been tested on animals because they don’t believe there’s any harm in doing so. Aside from this issue, you two get along great, but her behavior and beliefs around animals really weighs on you. You start to focus on the reasons why you are friends with this person and send articles their way on the health benefits of eating a vegetarian diet and using cruelty-free products.
How do you break cognitive dissonance?
In order to break cognitive dissonance, people must break something in order to restore balance. While complete consistency all of the time in everything we say, do, and believe, is nearly impossible to achieve, there are three main ways reduce cognitive dissonance.
The first is to add more supportive beliefs that outweigh dissonant beliefs. For example, if a person believes that it is wrong to drink and drive but finds themselves driving home after a couple of glasses of wine, they may either choose to get a ride home after drinking or they may stop drinking altogether. Changing either behavior resolves the dissonance and brings the actions and thoughts into harmony. .
Reducing the importance of the conflict belief is another way of breaking cognitive dissonance. When behaviors and beliefs don’t align, it is oftentimes easier to justify the reason we act a certain way then it is to put in the work to change the behavior. An example of this is someone who spends money on unnecessary items, even though they believe saving money is important. They might justify spending money on unnecessary things by saying things such as “you can’t take it with you” or “you never know when your last day will be,” or “I save money by buying items on sale” so that they don’t feel as much guilt associated with the dissonance.
Finally, changing your conflicting belief is one of the most effective ways of dealing with dissonance, but it is also the most difficult. When it comes to deeply held values and beliefs, it can be extremely difficult to let go of the values, thoughts, and beliefs that have been held onto for so long.
How do you recognize cognitive dissonance?
Each person has a different level of tolerance for dissonance and it is difficult to measure objectively. However, for most people, dissonance feels uncomfortable or like something isn’t right, but it doesn’t create huge problem in your life. Others might feel the need to change something in order to change those feelings. On the more extreme side, cognitive dissonance can manifest as anxiety, especially when it involves a long-held belief, such as a moral or religious view that is being challenged. However, feelings of discomfort, guilt, shame, embarrassment, or anger are often an effect of cognitive dissonance. Other signs that you might be experiencing cognitive dissonance include general discomfort that has no obvious or clear source, confusion, feeling conflicted over a disputed subject matter, people saying you’re a hypocrite, or being away of conflicting views but not knowing what to do with them.
How does cognitive dissonance lead to attitude change?
When we have conflicting beliefs or conflicting beliefs and behaviors, there is an innate desire to bring our attitudes and behaviors back into harmony with one another.One of the best ways to overcome the conflict is by addressing and changing either the belief or the behavior. While it can be extremely difficult to change deeply held beliefs, it is one of the most effective ways to address the dissonance. Gaining new information about the deeply held beliefs can help change the attitude altogether. If a person is not ready to change their belief altogether, they may seek out information that justifies the belief in question.
How does cognitive dissonance affect workplace behavior?
Cognitive dissonance can impact the workplace and lead to negative results. Some of which include withdrawal and disengagement, increased absenteeism, negative and inappropriate behavior, and adverse health effects.
When it comes to withdrawal and disengagement, this usually stems from employees who are stressed out. Stressed out employees become inactive and are less likely to bring up new ideas or put forth a great deal of effort towards improving areas outside of their direct duties.
Increased absenteeism is one of the most common effects of cognitive dissonance. Staff tend to find it emotionally easier to just not show up then to be constantly exposed to stress causing factors.
People who are stressed in the workplace often experience a range of emotions such as anxiety, disappointment, and anger, which can manifest into many counterproductive behaviors such as sabotage, aggression, malicious compliance, and silent obstruction.
Adverse health effects caused by workplace cognitive dissonance include fatigue, anxiety, depression, and many others. These affects are primarily a result of continuous exposure to stress.
Cognitive dissonance in the workplace typically occurs because of a particular management or leadership style such as bullying or discriminations.
Why does cognitive dissonance occur?
Cognitive dissonance occurs when people find themselves in situations where there is an inconsistency between their deeply held values, beliefs, attitudes, and actions. These situations may be brought out by forced compliance behavior, decision making, effort in achievement, and gaining new information.
Forced compliance behavior refers to situations where a person is forced to perform actions that are inconsistent with their beliefs. The inconsistency in beliefs and actions leads to feelings of stress and uncertainty, which can lead to cognitive dissonance.
Decision making is part of life and as a general rule, making decisions arouses dissonance. This is because all decisions involve choosing between several alternatives and each alternative has benefits and downsides. In order to reduce the dissonance that people feel when making decisions, they end up justifying their decisions, even in situations where they made the wrong choice, which is when the dissonance begins.
People generally value achievements based on the amount of effort it took to achieve them. Accomplishments that take considerable effort are valued higher because we would experience a great deal of dissonance if we put in a ton of time and effort only to make a minor achievement. However, there are times where this is exactly what happens – we put in a lot of time and effort only for the result to be minimal or to not work out at all. We end up justifying our actions by stating that the effort was enjoyable or that it didn’t take as much time as we initially thought it did.
Coming across information that goes against our beliefs, is a major cause of cognitive dissonance. When we learn new information, we are forced to question our beliefs. Sometimes, we are able to accept the information quickly and add it to our belief system, but other times, the information we learn feels less-good and goes against our beliefs, which leads to cognitive dissonance. People will either learn to accept the new information as part of their beliefs and change the initial belief they had or they will seek out other information that justifies the deeply held belief.
What is an example of dissonance?
An example of dissonance could be someone who smokes cigarettes every day but knows that smoking could give them cancer.
Another example of dissonance is when a person believes living an active lifestyle is the best way to be healthy but has a sedentary desk job.
How does cognitive dissonance operate in everyday life?
Cognitive dissonance happens every day as we make decisions. Whenever have to decide, we are always choosing between several different options and when we make a decision, we leave those alternatives behind. In situations where the decision is seemingly easy (i.e., it aligns with our deeply held beliefs and values), you might not think twice about the decision you made. However, in situations where the decision might not align perfectly with our beliefs, the decision is trickier, and you are more likely to justify the decision you make so that you feel better about the choice you make. An example of cognitive dissonance in everyday life is if the car stops short and some coffee spills out of your mug. You might feel annoyed initially, but you’ll quickly rationalize that it’s not a big deal because there is always coffee brewing in the office kitchen. Another common example is when people rationalize taking a “cheat day” from a diet. People will often say “it’s only one cookie and I’ll skip lunch today to make up for the calories” or “it’s actually not that many calories” to justify the behavior. Neither of these examples have a particularly huge impact on a person’s daily life, but when there are constant conflicting thoughts and behaviors, it can cause people to feel out of whack.
What is cognitive conflict?
Cognitive conflict involves a discrepancy between cognitive structures and experiences, or between various pre-existing knowledge, beliefs, values, motives, and needs.
What dissonance means?
Dissonance refers to a lack of agreement or an instance of such inconsistency or disagreement. Dissonance often refers to conflict that occurs when a person’s behaviors and beliefs do not align or when a person holds two beliefs that contradict one another.
