What is meant by "cognitive dissonance"?

Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort that arises when an individual holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or ideas simultaneously. This theory was first introduced by Leon Festinger in the 1950s and suggests that when people experience this mismatch, they are motivated to reduce the resulting dissonance. This might involve changing one of the conflicting beliefs, adding new information to reconcile the conflict, or downplaying the importance of the conflicting belief.

For example, a person who values health but smokes may experience cognitive dissonance. To alleviate the discomfort, they might either quit smoking, rationalize their smoking behavior by minimizing its risks, or adopt new beliefs about smoking that align more closely with their actions.

Understanding cognitive dissonance is vital in fields such as psychology, marketing, and conflict resolution, as it explains how and why individuals justify their decisions and behaviors, even when those may seem irrational or contradictory.