What Is Cognitive Dissonance? Signs, Symptoms And Triggers (2024)

Cognitive dissonance is the uneasiness you feel when you have conflicting beliefs. For example, people may feel cognitive dissonance if they enjoy drinking alcohol, despite knowing too much may be bad for their health.

Anyone can experience this uneasiness when their feelings don’t align with their actions, says Rachelle Scott, M.D., a psychiatrist and ​​medical director of Mental Health at Eden Health in New York. “Humans like consistency, and that gives us a sense of control. Dissonance comes up when we realize there are two things opposing each other,” she explains.

A key part of cognitive dissonance is the psychological tension created when previously held attitudes conflict with new information, explains Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D., the associate vice chair of wellness and assistant medical director of psychiatric specialties at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

People with cognitive dissonance may experience‌, according to Dr. Scott:

• Embarrassment over feeling wrong about the beliefs they previously held
• Shame or regret about past actions or decisions
• Guilt for hiding or something they believe is wrong
• Discomfort for doing something that contradicts what they believe

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Cognitive dissonance is a normal occurrence that can affect anyone. Though, the severity may vary depending on how tightly the belief is held. Values surrounding racism, sexism and religion can commonly cause tension when you discover new information that opposes how you feel, says Dr. Scott.

Here are some real-life examples:

• New information: Someone who grew up with pro-life values later questions their stance after learning more about abortion.
• Forced compliance: Someone whose job forces them to act a certain way may feel emotionally uncomfortable. For example, an immigration officer may feel cognitive dissonance if they have to deport undocumented immigrants, even if they personally feel they deserve a chance to stay.
• Contradictory decisions: Someone who is vocal about the need to stop ocean pollution but who continues to use plastic straws in their beverages.

The Impacts of Cognitive Dissonance

No one likes to feel wrong, so people experiencing cognitive dissonance may form several defense mechanisms to reduce discomfort:

• Living in a state of denial. Consciously suppressing new information that contradicts your beliefs is one way cognitive dissonance plays out, says Dr. Nadkarni. If you’ve spent your life dedicated to ending global poverty but later hear the organization you work for is stealing donations, that might cause you to initially deny such corruption would exist.
• Avoidance behavior. Another common reaction is to avoid triggering negative feelings. If you told your friends and family that you’ve started a diet and then don’t stick to the plan, you may end up gaining weight instead of losing it. As a result, you may avoid hanging out with loved ones because you didn’t follow through.
• Questioning the validity of new information that threatens your beliefs. Some individuals may try to question new facts that contradict their original views, notes Dr. Scott. A person who wants to justify their contradictory behavior may question whether the evidence behind vaping and exhibiting poor health outcomes is actually true.
• Feelings of low self-worth. If you do not reflect on the cause behind your cognitive dissonance, you may continue to feel a lasting discomfort that can affect your self-worth. “It’s not uncommon to see issues around self-esteem, especially if there’s a lot of dissonance about aspiring to be good, healthy or religious,” says Dr. Scott. “People can influence another person’s self-worth because they’ve decided the belief is an important value for them.,” To avoid shame and low self-esteem, people may attempt to seek others who share similar beliefs to validate their preexisting views.
• Reflecting on your beliefs. Cognitive dissonance is not always a bad thing. Discomfort can force you to reflect and grow. If you drink every day, you may use the guilt as an opportunity to change. You might decide to limit your drinking to twice a week. “Reducing the amount of a drink is more in line with the belief you have that drinking is healthy [in moderation],” says Dr. Scott.

“We want to drown out things that are not making us feel great and we try to go towards things that make us feel more comfortable,” she adds. “People whose actions and behaviors are similar are going to help them sort of reduce that discomfort.”

People experience cognitive dissonance for many reasons, but a common trigger is work. “Maybe you’re at a company with a work culture or attitudes that are in opposition or conflict to what you believe,” according to Dr. Scott. School is another catalyst for tension as people are acclimating to a new environment, meeting others and learning new information. Unhealthy bad habits are another cause.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a trigger as well. A December 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology showed an increase in cognitive dissonance among subjects over the perceived danger of the virus versus reality, despite a surge of cases in Italy at the beginning of the crisis^[1]Di Domenico R, Cannata D, Mancini T. The Cassandra Experience: A Mixed Methods Study on the Intragroup Cognitive Dissonance of Italian Expatriates During the First Wave of COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 2021;12. . “The pandemic has served as a major alternation of our realities and what we understand about the world and how we respond to acute stressors,” explains Dr. Nadkarni.

Cognitive dissonance can happen to anyone, and most cases resolve on their own. However, there are therapy options for people whose cognitive dissonance is severely affecting their relationships or the ability to live their lives.

Attending specialized therapy sessions such as psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy can help individuals who struggle with cognitive dissonance work through emotional difficulties and disruptive or negative thoughts. Your psychologist or licensed professional counselor can help you understand your thought process, identify where the feelings are coming from, as well as find ways to change your bias, reduce conflicting beliefs or add new ones.