MOST OF US have experienced conflicting beliefs at one time or another. For instance, you know that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health, but you pour yourself a second glass of wine ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. SewCream/Shutterstock Have you ever been out and about, perhaps tackling the Christmas shopping list, and felt a bit thirsty? You ...

The Penguine Dictionary of Psychology defines cognitive dissonance (CD) as "an emotional state set up when two simultaneously held attitudes or cognitions are inconsistent or when there is a conflict ...

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. Ever since Stanford psychologist Leon Festinger’s pioneering work on doomsday cults ...

I’ve been academically intrigued in recent months to see so many political references to “cognitive dissonance.” As a social psychologist who has taught and conducted dissonance research for over 20 ...

Imagine that Chad claims to be a committed environmentalist but continues to consume animal products. Since animal agriculture contributes to climate change, and since Chad knows this, you may be ...

Cognitive dissonance is more common than you think. In the field of psychology, it occurs when a person’s beliefs or values contradict their behavior or attitude and creates the feeling of mental ...

You know meat is bad for the environment. Yet, you eat it despite calling yourself an animal lover. You rest all your belief on a leader despite all the facts telling otherwise. You are trying to lose ...