People tend to seek consistency in their attitudes, so when we hold two contradictory beliefs and our thoughts do not align with our actions, we may experience discomfort.
Interested in how all of this manifests in everyday life, Reddit userIndependent_Ad_3915asked everyone else on the platform, “What’s the worst example of cognitive dissonance you’ve seen in real life?”
Here are some of the answers they have received. It sounds like we’re pretty good at lying to ourselves.
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People who purport to live their lives like Jesus, and yet are hateful and judgmental, and non-accepting which is the exact opposite of what the man was about, historically.
We got in touch with Independent_Ad_3915, and they were kind enough to take a little time and have a chat with us about their post.“I sat down thinking about what would be a good question that everyone could associate with in some meaningful way,” they toldBored Pandaabout its origins. “I remember thinking, ‘What is your happiest memory? Or, biggest recurring thought? Or, biggest self-delusion?'““I then decided on a question that focuses on how someone views the thoughts of others.”
We got in touch with Independent_Ad_3915, and they were kind enough to take a little time and have a chat with us about their post.
“I sat down thinking about what would be a good question that everyone could associate with in some meaningful way,” they toldBored Pandaabout its origins. “I remember thinking, ‘What is your happiest memory? Or, biggest recurring thought? Or, biggest self-delusion?'”
“I then decided on a question that focuses on how someone views the thoughts of others.”
Brexit voters who live in Spain and other parts of the EU. Voting to kick out foreigners without realising that they are the foreigners is peak cognitive dissonance.
Illegal immigrants are taking our jobs!I wouldn’t have a problem with illegal immigrants if they would work instead of coming here to live off of welfare!Said within minutes of each other out of the same mouth.
The Redditor noticed that there were a lot of references to American politics in the answers. “Some people were just putting in ‘Democrats’ or ‘Republicans’ as their answer.“That might be due to the fact that over the past years, Democrats and Republicans have both grown increasingly likely to view members of the opposing party through a negative lens.A 2022pollfound that majorities of Democrats describe Republicans as being more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, and unintelligent than other Americans; majorities of Republicans describe Democrats as each of the above, with the further addition of lazy.
The Redditor noticed that there were a lot of references to American politics in the answers. “Some people were just putting in ‘Democrats’ or ‘Republicans’ as their answer.”
That might be due to the fact that over the past years, Democrats and Republicans have both grown increasingly likely to view members of the opposing party through a negative lens.
A 2022pollfound that majorities of Democrats describe Republicans as being more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, and unintelligent than other Americans; majorities of Republicans describe Democrats as each of the above, with the further addition of lazy.
“I don’t think there is a world where people can fully live true to any belief system,” the author of the post said. “Because the reality around us will give us particular situations that will force us to compromise or even betray those beliefs in some way.““Most people aren’t even aware of that; however, they are overly strong on the power of belief and the ideal of ‘I am right.’ And what you think in your head does not match facts on the ground is where cognitive dissonance will occur. That does not mean there is no higher morality or ethics that people should aspire to.““To put it simply, people need to accept that the reality in their minds and the real world rarely match each other 100 percent on every topic,” they added.
“I don’t think there is a world where people can fully live true to any belief system,” the author of the post said. “Because the reality around us will give us particular situations that will force us to compromise or even betray those beliefs in some way.”
“Most people aren’t even aware of that; however, they are overly strong on the power of belief and the ideal of ‘I am right.’ And what you think in your head does not match facts on the ground is where cognitive dissonance will occur. That does not mean there is no higher morality or ethics that people should aspire to.”
“To put it simply, people need to accept that the reality in their minds and the real world rarely match each other 100 percent on every topic,” they added.
“This weather is crazy!!! It was never like this when I was a kid.” meets “climate change is a hoax.”
For those of us who work/have worked in retail during the holiday season:“I can’t believe they have you working on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day/insert holiday here…“It’s you. It’s because of YOU I’m working. Cuz you’re here, shopping on a public holiday. 🙄
But interestingly, cognitive dissonance can sometimes be a tool for personal and social change. Drawing a person’s attention to the disparity between their behavior and their values may increase their awareness of the inconsistency and empower them to act.
The theory behind this approach is that, in order to resolve it, a person’s implicit beliefs about their body and thinness will change, reducing their desire to limit food intake.
So a lot depends on the circumstances.
Conservatives decrying they want government to leave them alone while supporting bans on gay marriage, access to women’s health, etc.
Modern Christianity in the USA. It’s literally the opposite of what Jesus taught.
My mom who rushes to do all the chores herself and then complains when nobody else does them. And then if someone else does it she complains that it’s not being done the way she does it
“This is what happens under socialism” Republicans talking about something happening now under capitalism
Simultaneously a Chinese bioweapon and just a cold
My husband who knows the extreme trauma and is devastated that I suffered so much from being a child victim of abuse and yet angrily defending Mormonism’s unapologetic declaration that clergy shouldn’t have to report abuse when a member confesses it. He’s a securities attorney with high morals and ethics and yet excuses the LDS church of hiding billions of dollars from the govt and their members in shell companies. He supports the homophobic religion despite the fact that he loves and accepts and supports his 2 queer daughters. He could be a case study on brainwashing
An American flag next a Confederate flag. They were opposite sides of the same war
Republicans who spout homophobic rhetoric but then are found on Grindr.
My mother told me that many years ago, our family had the children taken and forced to go to a Catholic boarding school. She told me that they cut their hair, beat the kids if they spoke their native language, and forced them to read the Bible and forced out our native belief. The term I’ve heard is, “They sewed the Bible into their hands.” They even outright m******d many kids while not telling the parents anything. I was already horrified, but then my mother told me that we’re a Catholic family that believes in Jesus…
Person: I don’t like black people because so many of them commit crimes and are in jail for dealing drugs.Me: But your son got ten years for major drug dealing.Person: Yeah, but that’s different.
My mother, an immigrant, talking about immigrants taking over our country
People on government disability payments talking about cutting welfare
LGBTQ people who vote republican.(Although to be fair, I think it’s more about class and race privilege for them. Still idiots, though.)
People complaining about other peoples driving while comitting the same errors but its ok because “they are in a hurry”
My ex-boyfriend’s mother would sit on her front porch and complain about the neighbors. “Look at those busybodies, sitting on their porch gossiping about everybody. Did you hear that her daughter…“She’d also insist her son drive her to the stores first thing after every holiday, so she could buy stuff half price “before the greedy people get there.”
Whole family dies from covidcovid isn’t real, God just decided it was time to bring them home
When the pandemic started, a friend of mine got really obsessed with the fact that you can’t leave your home or go near people without a mask etc.Only thing is it never reflected in his own actions. He judged others but did not follow guidelines himself. He worked at a grocery store at the time and refused to wear a mask his boss told him to wear, meanwhile complaining about people coming to the store without masks and putting his health at risk.
Teachers supporting policy makers who want to cut education funding
SO’s grandmother died this year, of cancer, that she had for 10 years. She refused to get treated, refused x-rays because she believed x-rays would give her cancer.
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The year before the pandemic I moved to Germany and had visited home (US), I was going for a swim at the public rec center I used to frequent and ran into one of the regulars. Telling him about my move to go to grad school and how college in Germany is cheaper.While sitting inside the public, city owned rec center, he says “they can just keep that socialist c**p to themselves.”
My alcoholic husband who is completely off the rails and rapidly drinking himself to death and tearing my and our kids’ hearts apart, sitting in his chair rambling on about how sorry he feels for a friend who is dealing with a loved one’s drug addiction.
My parents are libertarian and hate the idea of socialism.They constantly talk about how much they love the library.
I don’t know, like 15 f*****g years ago there was a study or poll that came out that said that a higher % of college educated people watch comedy central than watch fox news.And my mother has never, ever laid it down. Any time we discuss anything she accuses me of “getting my news from comedians”, just because I use to watch Jon Stewart, and now occasionally watch John Oliver.When the news dropped that Exxon had insider memos knowing they knew about climate change, and their hand in it, my mom and I had a discussion.I cited articles from Reuters, Bloomberg, and the BBC.My mom literally pulled up Exxon’s website, and basically said “See? Exxon says it is fine and they are innocent”, and then at the end of our discussion, still came at me for “getting my news from comedians”, when I was the only one who actually cited a news source….
Farmers who survive on government subsidies complaining about the “welfare state”
My mother showed me a snapshot from her own childhood that showed, in general, her father lying on a childs bed, her sitting next to him between him and the wall. Her brother sitting on the floor in front of the bed, playing with some toys:“This is my favourite picture from my childhood! All my siblings always whining and claiming we were abused. It’s such bt. See? It’s just a quiet, calm, happy snapshot of a perfectly normal family. Every time one of them starts up about being abused, I remember this snapshot and know that we were fine. Just fine!“And so I looked at the picture and asked, “What about the handgun?“Because my fg grandfather (the wildly violent, gambling, womanizing, utter piece of human garbage) was literally laying there in his kids’ room with a handgun in his hand. We aren’t Americans. So like… yeah. That st ain’t normal.She had been looking at that picture for HALF A CENTURY, always patting herself on the back that it was proof that her desperate need to insist everything was OK was in any way accurate, and never in all that time, had she apparently ever seen the handgun.Mind blown.Best part? Within a year, she tried to show me the picture again, again telling me about how it was her favourite and proof that her siblings were full of s*t…So maybe she did see the gun.
anti-vaxxers dying of preventable diseases
A neighbour complaining about increasing homelessness and then talking about how she can barely afford her mortgage payments on her rental property ever since interest rates rose higher. “I’m not allowed to raise the rent past a certain amount so now I’m paying the mortgage out of my pocket!”
I met a woman whose brother was killed in combat in Iraq.His pointless death made her….become even more of a Republican.Because Nancy Pelosi didn’t do enough to stop George W. Bush.
My family who constantly make fun of and poke holes in the doctrine of other religions. My family are all Mormons.
People that vote anti-a******n and then vote to eliminate free school lunches
My uncle refuses to acknowledge or give credibility to ANYTHING animated.“It’s a f*****g cartoon it’s not real!““So if we take the factual events of WWII and animate it, it’s not real anymore?““Exactly!!!”Face palm
Working class tory voters.
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Speaking as a leftist myself, some people claim to be progressive and say a lot of good things on many issues, but then they’ll open their mouths and say the most horrible, dehumanizing, frankly nauseating stuff about fat people. And you realize “Yeah, these people are not progressive at all.” They don’t understanding the humanity that underpins these issues one bit. They’re just playing tribal football, and are actually haters.
My brother sarcastically yelling “well, maybe I have mental issues too!” Moments before kicking my door in half and threatening to attack me.
People who tell me, “it was nice to meet you.”
Saying “I love animals” and then eating them
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