Cognitive Dissonance

Dear Proteas!

Lately, I have been reflecting on my own personal journey with lifestyle modifications to improve my health and wellness.  I have had conflicting feelings about doing what is right for my health, despite knowing the problem of doing what is wrong. For example, despite knowing that cigarette smoking was not good for me (e.g., increases plaque in the artery, which can lead to a heart attack), feeling tired and short of breath after smoking, I continued smoking, and it took me many years to quit. After I quit, I began to breathe better. So I started to think, why do we do things that are not good for us? With this question in mind, I decided to read about cognitive dissonance and share it with you, as you make changes to your lifestyle to improve your health and wellness.  Happy reading!

What is cognitive dissonance? Leon Festinger (1957) postulated the cognitive dissonance theory, which states that there is an uncomfortable feeling that arises when one behaves in a way that contradicts one's values, beliefs, attitudes, or plans.

How do you know you are experiencing cognitive dissonance? It is a discrepancy between attitude and behavior. You either go against rules and regulations you grew up knowing (e.g., do not smoke, smoking is bad for your health), or you get a gut feeling that something about a situation you are unfamiliar with is bad (e.g., seeing someone discriminate against another person or group).

What are some examples of cognitive dissonance (i.e., a discrepancy between attitude and behavior)? Here are several examples: The first example is a health and wellness coach educating a person on how to manage their hypertension (high blood pressure) by making better food choices (e.g., avoiding high-sodium foods and using salt substitutes, such as black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper). Still, the person continues to eat foods high in salt (sodium) despite feeling guilty. The second example is the person who does not stretch before going for a run. The person knows that failing to stretch before going for a run could increase the risk of injury, yet does not stretch due to time constraints. While running, the person is concerned about the possibility of muscle strain or joint pain.  The third example is the person who stays up all night watching television and scrolling through social media, feeling tired the next day because they slept less than 6 to 7 hours. The fourth example is a group of people who exclude others by making derogatory comments, screaming at them, calling them names, or lying about them because those people do not fit the group’s culture: one person within the group feels ashamed when they see how those people are being treated.

How does one overcome doing things that disagree with one’s values, beliefs, attitudes, or plans?  The fact that a person is experiencing cognitive dissonance indicates that their behavior contradicts their values and beliefs, and they are likely to want to change it. Festinger (1957) provides four examples to “reduce” or avoid behaving in a way that contradicts one’s values and beliefs:

• We change our behavior so that it is consistent with the other thoughts.

• We change one of the dissonant thoughts in order to restore consistency.

• We add other (consonant) thoughts that justify or reduce the importance of one thought and therefore diminish the inconsistency.

• We trivialize the inconsistency altogether, making it less important and less relevant.

Here are two case scenarios to illustrate how conscious dissonance is experienced:

Person 1: A 36-year-old person is educated by their health and wellness coach about the importance of eating foods low in salt (sodium) to manage their high blood pressure (hypertension) effectively. The person decides to eat high-salt foods at least twice a week, after which their blood pressure rises from 150/90 mm Hg to 165/100 mm Hg. The person refuses to follow the health and wellness coach's instructions because they feel strongly that “life is too short, and they must live a little.” The long-term effects of not managing one’s blood pressure effectively include the loss of nephrons, which can lead to chronic kidney disease. The person is aware of this and says that their parents and grandparents never followed a diet, and they lived with hypertension till the age of 80 despite eating a diet high in salt.

Person 2: A 37-year-old person who has been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) has received instructions from the health and wellness coach to follow a low-sodium diet. However, every weekend, when the person goes out with friends, they eat foods high in sodium. Every time the person eats high-sodium food, their blood pressure rises from 130/80 mm Hg to 160/90 mm Hg. Although the person’s parents both had hypertension and lived to the age of 90, the person feels guilty about eating poorly, even if it is occasionally, and ultimately stops eating food high in sodium, including on the weekends.

What is the difference between the two case scenarios? The first person firmly believes that because their parents and grandparents lived up to the age of 80 with high blood pressure, the person is immune to dying at an early age. This perspective is wrong because there are different factors to consider (e.g., the level of stress experienced and food additives) that the person's parents may not have encountered. The second person is practicing mindfulness (noticing inconsistency between wanting to manage their blood pressure effectively and not eating healthy), challenging current beliefs (although my parents lived long with hypertension, it does not mean that I will), is experiencing cognitive dissonance thoughts (having high blood pressure because of poor dieting does not feel right), and is justifying behavior (I will not eat foods high in sodium to avoid having high blood pressure) while the first is not.

The takeaway of this blog is that if it does not align with your beliefs, values, attitudes, and plans, do not do it. Meaning, if you want to be healthy, do what is right to improve your health. You will feel better in the long run. 

Side note: I think restaurants need to serve low-salt or salt-free food to create a healthier nation, reducing the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension). Having healthy food options at restaurants can reduce the likelihood of going against one’s will, as they can choose healthy meals.

Reference

Neuhaous, M (2021). Cognitive dissonance: theory, examples & how to reduce it. Positive Psychology.

https://positivepsychology.com/cognitive-dissonance-theory/