This is five part series of videos about Leon Festinger’s psychological theory of Cognitive Dissonance.
The video defines cognitive dissonance as the mental discomfort that arises when a person holds two or more conflicting beliefs or ideas. It explains that people often cope with this discomfort by rejecting new information or by changing their behavior to align with the new information. The video argues that people are more likely to reject new information because it is easier and less threatening to their self-esteem [01:57].
The video provides several examples, including a smoker who knows smoking is bad for their health but continues to smoke, and a political supporter who continues to support a candidate despite learning of their immoral actions. It also describes a classic experiment by Leon Festinger where people who believed the world was going to end dealt with the fact that it didn’t by convincing themselves their belief had saved the world.
Finally, the video suggests that cognitive dissonance is a product of our evolutionary past, where it was important to be seen as competent in a social hierarchy. The video offers tips on how to cope with cognitive dissonance in a healthy way, such as being aware of our own biases and being open to new information [24:20].
