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 ...

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 ...

It started with a simple but heartfelt inquiry. When Kerry Sandell approached her former professor in the tumultuous times following the 2020 death of George Floyd, she said, “I want to talk to you ...

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 ...

Do you ever feel a nagging sense of discomfort when your actions don't match your beliefs? For example, you might tell a small white lie even though you value honesty. That uneasy feeling is known as ...

Members of Heaven’s Gate, a religious cult, believed that as the Hale-Bopp comet passed by Earth in 1997, a spaceship would be traveling in its wake—ready to take true believers aboard. Several ...

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological theory that describes the discomfort of holding two or more opposing beliefs, or the conflict between an action and a single belief. Maybe you experience it ...

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 ...

Not long ago a husband, "Todd", described the violent nature of his wife, "Lynn." For twenty minutes, Todd painfully illustrated instances of regular, severe emotional abuse coupled with occasional ...