May 13, 2025
Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort of holding two conflicting values, beliefs, or actions. You’ve probably experienced it: when you yell and honk at a car on the highway, even though you highly value kindness and staying calm. Or when you cheat a cookie when you’ve told your partner that you’re going on a diet.
When our actions don’t align with our values, we feel uncomfortable. This discomfort is known as cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance: Definition
Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort and inner conflict that arises when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values, or when their actions do not align with their beliefs. It's like experiencing a tug-of-war within yourself, where conflicting thoughts or behaviors lead to feelings of unease, confusion, or stress. This internal struggle can manifest in various ways, such as rationalizing, avoiding, or feeling defensive when confronted with conflicting information.
Our brains want to make sense of the world and our relation to it. This is why when we have inconsistencies in how we act and what we value, we feel uncomfortable. We’re creating a pattern that doesn’t make sense. If we act one way but believe another. . . it must mean that one of those things (our actions or our beliefs) is wrong.
Acknowledging cognitive dissonance is an essential step towards understanding oneself better and promoting personal growth. By recognizing and addressing these conflicts, we have the opportunity to realign our beliefs and behaviors, leading to greater peace and authenticity.
What is an example of cognitive dissonance?
Examples of cognitive dissonance include:
- Someone who is trying to be healthier but can’t stop their cigarette-smoking habit.
- An individual committed to sustainability may feel cognitive dissonance when they use single-use plastic products, despite their strong beliefs in reducing plastic waste.
- A person who identifies with a specific political party may experience cognitive dissonance if they encounter information that contradicts their party's stance on a particular issue.
- You believe your child can do no harm and can’t rectify that belief with the truth that they got suspended for fighting.
- A person may experience cognitive dissonance if they hold a high-paying job with a company whose values or actions conflict with their personal moral compass.
These are just some examples of cognitive dissonance. There are many areas in which it occurs, and it’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes, it can be your moral compass pointing you in the right direction. Other times it can work like a check-engine light, alerting you to changing values and behaviors. Whether or not these changes are bad is entirely up to you.
What are 7 signs of cognitive dissonance?
When you experience cognitive dissonance you probably don’t think to yourself: “Ah, yes, I’m feeling cognitive dissonance.” More likely, you’ll experience what you can label as guilt, shame, anger, or fear. Cognitive dissonance can appear as any mix of these emotions, in addition to signs such as:
- Internal Conflict: Feeling emotionally uncomfortable when faced with contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors within oneself.
- Rationalization: Justifying or explaining away conflicting thoughts or actions in order to reduce the discomfort of holding contradictory beliefs.
- Avoidance: Choosing to ignore or dismiss information that challenges existing beliefs in order to maintain a sense of consistency.
- Defensiveness: Becoming defensive or resistant when presented with evidence that contradicts one's current beliefs or behaviors.
- Stress and Anxiety: Experiencing heightened levels of stress, anxiety, or inner turmoil as a result of conflicting thoughts or actions.
- Behavioral Inconsistencies: Acting in ways that are inconsistent with one's beliefs or values, leading to feelings of confusion or guilt.
- Seeking Confirmation Bias: Only seeking out information or sources that align with pre-existing beliefs, while avoiding conflicting viewpoints.
- Self-Doubt: Questioning one's own judgment or decision-making processes due to the internal conflicts arising from cognitive dissonance.
If you feel internally conflicted, there’s a good chance you’re feeling cognitive dissonance. The question now is: What should you do about it?
What are the four types of cognitive dissonance?
The four types of cognitive dissonance include:
- Belief Disconfirmation: Occurs when a person’s deeply held belief is challenged by new evidence, leading to either rejecting the new information or modifying the belief.
- Induced Compliance: Involves acting in a way that contradicts personal beliefs due to external pressures or influences, creating internal conflict. Colloquially known simply as “peer pressure”
- Effort Justification: Arises when an individual justifies a challenging or unpleasant experience by convincing themselves that the end result was worth the effort or discomfort.
- Post-decisional Dissonance: Refers to the discomfort experienced after making a decision, especially when faced with conflicting information or alternative choices. For example, buyer’s remorse.
These four types of cognitive dissonance represent the various ways in which conflicting thoughts or actions can lead to inner turmoil and emotional discomfort.
How to Fix Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance, like any emotion, isn’t all bad. It serves a purpose, and the best way to “fix” cognitive dissonance is to work your way through it.
- Determine the two conflicting values or behaviors: “I want to laugh at this joke with my coworkers to fit in, but it’s at someone else's expense and I don’t agree with that.”
- Determine what is the greater value: “I value excelling at work, and being sociable with my coworkers is a part of that. I also value being respectful and kind to everyone. At this moment, I value being respectful more than the possible success I would get at fitting in.” OR “In this moment, the benefit I would get from fitting outweighs my social conscience to be respectful.”
- Change either your behaviors or your thoughts: Don’t laugh at the joke and bring up how it’s inappropriate to make fun of another coworker. OR Acknowledge that by moving upwards in your company you could have the chance to make greater changes in company culture.
- Allow for a flexible perception: No one can be perfect all of the time. Maybe you laugh at the unsavory joke because it took you by surprise and you didn’t know what else to do. In a different example, maybe you don’t have the money to buy from a sustainable brand, so you have to compromise your values by buying from a brand that uses plastic. Reevaluate your perception of the events that caused cognitive dissonance. There is always more at play than simply your values and behaviors. Try to approach every situation with self-compassion and empathy.
If cognitive dissonance is an ongoing problem in your life, therapy can help. A therapist can help you untangle the many games of tug-a-war happening in your mind so you understand where this conflict is coming from. From there, you can take the steps to fix the internal discomfort and live more authentically.
To talk to a therapist, contact our team and we will match you with someone who meets your nets. Alternatively, you can browse our list of licensed therapists near you.
