The mental discomfort experienced when holding contradictory beliefs or when behavior conflicts with beliefs, motivating change to restore consistency.
From Latin 'cognitio' (knowledge) + 'dissonantia' (disagreement). Disagreeing knowledge. Theory by Leon Festinger (1957).
Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable tension when your actions don't match your beliefs — and your brain will twist logic into pretzels to make the discomfort go away!
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