I learned about the concept cognitive dissonance in my psychology 100 class and it has stuck with me ever since. Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes. People are motivated to reduce this discomfort by changing their beliefs, acquiring new information, or minimizing the importance of the conflict.
Today, I was at the grocery store, standing in the aisles and looking at cases of soda on sale for $2.97, a severe markdown from their $9.99 price point.
I almost eagerly jumped on the deal because it was such a steal. However, before reaching for a case, I realized this was another instance of cognitive dissonance in my life.
There are three reasons why I try to avoid soda.
1) I don’t have the greatest dental health due to childhood neglect, and I’ve never had dental insurance as an adult, so I try to take care of my teeth and avoid soda as much as possible.
2) I found that diet soda causes inflammation in my body.
3) The sugar cravings start to get intense. Our body does not understand the difference between artificial sweeteners and actual sugar.
Despite knowing these things, I still often struggle with avoiding diet soda and sugar. It was only when I was reading my study plan last week that I realized cognitive dissonance plays a significant role in my life, and likely in yours too.
It’s behind why we know smoking is bad, yet some of us still continue to smoke.
- Some of us are more sensitive to sugar, yet we continue to consume it.
- We know saving money will give us a better life, yet we continue to spend.
I had heard this term before, but it wasn’t until I read my study plan that it really clicked with me.
Here is the definition from the textbook.
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological discomfort that arises from a conflict in a person’s behaviors, attitudes or beliefs that runs counter to one’s positive self perception (Lumen Learning 2024)
Here is the solution
To reduce cognitive dissonance, individuals can change their behavior, attitudes, cognitions, or add a new cognition. (Lumen Learning 2024)
Even after reading those two things, I still didn’t resonate with the concept until I read this passage. Only then did it click, and it has stayed with me since…
Cognitive dissonance occurs when our behaviors do not align with our attitudes or when our behaviors do not align with other behaviors. (Lumen Learning 2024)
Along with the following passage.
Therefore, we attempt to avoid cognitive dishonest by being consistent, in other words cognitive dissonance causes discomfort because it disrupts our sense of consistency. (Lumen Learning 2024)
We often rise and fall to the autopilot nature of our habits
Consistency is something we’re always encouraged to follow:
- Going to the gym every day
- Eating right every day
- Being consistent in how we show up
- Being consistent in managing our finances
The concept of consistency is often talked about in a positive light, but what’s not discussed are the hidden consistencies. These are the habits we don’t even realize are on autopilot:
- The person who needs to drink every day
- The person who needs to smoke marijuana every day
- The person who enjoys junk food every day
- The person who drinks diet soda or energy drinks every day
For me, food has always been a consistent source of comfort, from childhood through to now.
Cognitive dissonance requires peeling back layers.
It’s the same thing I noticed when I was standing in front of snickerdoodles with a buy-one-get-one-free deal at Safeway. Each case had 18 cookies—way too many for a single person.
My mind began to rationalize buying the cookies: I could give one case away, or I could make the cookies last. Once again, the concept of cognitive dissonance was right at the forefront of my mind before I could reach for a case.
Peeling back a layer means being honest with ourselves. Even if we like to think we could make those cookies last, it’s often just a temporary feeling to justify putting them in our cart. Once we’re home, we justify the additional servings we consume, and the cycle repeats.
We know this because we’ve done it time and time again—the feel-good, in-the-moment compromise that keeps us stuck in the habit.
My goal this year is to try and reduce the gap between cognitive dissonance and the life that I want for myself and that starts with being honest about my shortcomings and personal capabilities in the moment.
Peeling back the layers between who I am now and who and where I want to be, and then understanding what lies between those two extremes, so I can close the gap of cognitive dissonance as much as possible.
Going back to the solution to this psychological phenomenon, here are two things I often do to decrease the gap:
Change my behavior:
Instead of giving in to the temptation of buying soda or cookies despite knowing their negative effects, coming up with a compromise, I can choose healthier alternatives or resist the temptations altogether.
Form new beliefs:
Take in new information or gain a perspectives that challenges existing beliefs ( habits) that I will be ‘forced’ to accept the new beliefs.
For instance, learning about the health risks associated with certain habits might create a shift in beliefs causing me to abandoned previous knowledge altogether.
Sometimes, I find this an easy thing to do, while other times, it feels like withdrawing from an addiction to a habit that was once a foundational piece of comfort.
Nevertheless, whether it’s smooth sailing or a challenging journey, we can grow when we’re willing to decrease the gap between cognitive dissonance.
The Broke College Student 
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