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cognitive dissonance

/ˈkɑɡnɪtɪv ˈdɪsənəns/
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Other forms: cognitive dissonances

Cognitive dissonance is what happens when you feel one way but behave in a different one, or when you're confronted with two pieces of information or beliefs that contradict each other.

If you consider yourself an environmentalist but drive a gas guzzler and find yourself wasting a lot of perfectly good food, it will create a sense of cognitive dissonance in your mind. It's uncomfortable to recognize two conflicting beliefs within yourself — maybe you love your old truck and really enjoy driving it, but hate that fossil fuels are harming the planet. The psychological theory of cognitive dissonance, or conflicted thinking, was developed in the 1950s.

Definitions of cognitive dissonance
  1. noun
    mental unease from holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes
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