Cognitive dissonance is the tension that arises from maintaining two different cognitions (thoughts, values, behaviours etc.) that are incompatible with one another. In order to overcome this, we often go to extreme lengths to rationalise the coexistence of these opposing beliefs.

 

In 1959 Leon Festinger, an American social psychologist, conducted an experiment which entailed asking participants to carry out mundane activities such as rotating pegs in a peg board for an extended period of time. The participants initially conveyed negative responses toward the activities. Some participants were then paid $1 to tell the participants waiting in the reception that the activities were fascinating whilst others were paid $20 to express the same sentiment. Interestingly, when the participants were later asked to evaluate the experience, those who were paid $1 to lie rated the monotonous activities more enjoyable than those who were paid $20.

 

It appears that $1 was not considered adequate compensation for lying and so the participants who only received $1 experience cognitive dissonance. To overcome this unsettling dissonance, they convinced themselves that the activities were not wholly dull. However, being paid $20 constituted a justification for turning pegs and so the participants who were paid more did not experience dissonance.The conclusion reached from the experiment is that when people are persuaded to lie without being given a sufficient reason, they will convince themselves that the falsity is true.

 

There are also instances of people experiencing cognitive dissonance in their day to day lives such as considering themselves animal lovers yet consuming unethical animal products. That being said, cognitive dissonance can incentivise people to enact change in their behaviours in order to eliminate this dissonance. For example, one may substitute one meat dish per week with a vegan alternative and start buying cage-free eggs to attenuate their guilt. 

 

Overall, our ability to uphold views that cannot logically coexist can preclude us from acting the way we would like to. However, the discomforting dissonance which is derived from doing so also has the potential to help us evolve as people. Therefore, change may be easier than we think and could merely be a matter of adjusting our thought patterns.