No. 296 · Your own mind · Psychology
Cognitive Dissonance
When our actions and beliefs clash, we often change the story rather than the behaviour.
In the Almanac
“When prophecy failed”, 1954 · “Philip Morris International”, 2016
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Cognitive Dissonance?
Cognitive Dissonance is the discomfort we feel when our beliefs conflict, or when our actions clash with our values. To ease it, we often change the story instead of the behavior, explaining away evidence or doubling down, as a doomsday group reportedly did when its prophecy failed.
How do you use Cognitive Dissonance?
To use it, notice when you're defending a choice rather than evaluating it. After big purchases, ask if you'd buy again. At work, set success criteria in advance so facts, not pride, decide. And turn the gap between values and actions into fuel for small, better habits.
When does Cognitive Dissonance matter?
Cognitive Dissonance is one of the 31 mental models for your own mind, the situations where you ask: Is my own thinking leading me astray? Within that, it belongs to “Seeing what you want to see”, alongside Blind Spot Bias, Commitment and Consistency Bias and Confirmation Bias.
What is an example of Cognitive Dissonance?
Two stories show it at work: When prophecy failed (1954) and Philip Morris International (2016). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Cognitive Dissonance?
Sunk Cost Fallacy, Commitment and Consistency Bias and Backfire Effect. Cognitive Dissonance itself comes from psychology.