Cognitive Dissonance: The Silent Saboteur of Our Lives, Politics, and Planet

"Because of propaganda-induced cognitive dissonance, most people

hate themselves and don't even know it." — Bryant McGill

We all want better lives—happiness, health, success—but so often, our actions tell a different story. We hit snooze after promising ourselves we'd get up early, scroll on our phones after saying we want to read more, or continue choosing toxic patterns we swear we're ready to break out of.

This isn’t laziness or lack of ambition; it’s cognitive dissonance—the inner conflict between what we say we want and the choices we make. Left unchecked, this disconnect quietly fuels self-sabotage, and keeps us stuck in cycles that undermine our dreams.

This is a problem many of us face on a personal level and as a result its also infiltrated our politics. America prides itself on its values—freedom, equality, opportunity—but beneath this curated facade is a not so pretty reality: cognitive dissonance is creating division.

A country we used to call the melting pot now demonizes immigrants. We claim to be the greatest country in the world while ignoring systemic inequalities that rob millions of their basic dignity. We preach personal responsibility but hold others to standards we don't even achieve ourselves.

The gap between what we say and how we act isn’t just an individual problem—it’s a national crisis creating division, eroding trust, and preventing meaningful progress.

If we want to grow beyond our current way of living, society must confront its dissonance head-on, starting with the acknowledgment of the contradictions in our personal lives.

Today we're gonna break down what cognitive dissonance is, how it affects our personal lives, our politics and the earth!

What is Cognitive Dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort we feel when our beliefs, values, or desires clash with our actions.

It’s the mental tug-of-war between what we say we want and what we actually do. This internal conflict often leads to self-justifications, excuses, or outright denial in order to maintain the illusion of consistency. It’s why people preach the importance of health but keep buying vapes, why people claim to love nature while giving their money to corporations that are actively destroying it and swear they want change while offloading the responsibility to make the change to others.

This phenomenon was first explored in th 1950s by psychologist Leon Festinger, who found that when people experience conflicting thoughts and actions, they try to reduce the discomfort by altering their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. Sometimes, this leads to positive change, but more often, it results in rationalizations that keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns - it's an invisible force that shapes our daily decisions, our relationships, and even national policies.

What Drives Cognitive Dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance doesn’t just appear out of nowhere; it’s influenced by various personal, societal, and systemic factors that create internal contradictions. Some of the main drivers include:

• Lack of Resources & Financial Strain: When we don’t have access to stable income, healthcare, education, or safe living conditions we're often forced often to make choices that go against our values just to survive - someone who believes in sustainability might rely on cheap fast food and plastic packaged groceries because healthier and eco-friendly options are too expensive.

• Cultural & Societal Expectations: Society often imposes conflicting expectations on us. We’re told to “follow our dreams” but also pressured to prioritize financial stability, leading people to stay in unfulfilling jobs or relationships that contradict what they really want.

• Misinformation & Media Influence: The media can play a major role in cognitive dissonance by feeding people conflicting messages. Politicians, corporations, and interest groups often manipulate narratives, making it harder for us to distinguish truth from bias, which leads to contradictions in our beliefs and behaviors.

• Fear & Comfort Zones: Change is uncomfortable, and fear of the unknown can push people to rationalize the status quo rather than embrace new ways of thinking or behaving. This is why many of us resist personal growth, social change, or policy reforms—even when we acknowledge that change is necessary. It's much easier to sit in an echo chamber of familiarity.

• Group Identity & Social Pressures: People often shape their beliefs based on the groups they identify with—family, religion, political affiliations, or communities. This leads to dissonance when someone personally disagrees with their group’s stance but continues to support it out of loyalty or fear of social rejection. It can feel like our livelihood is at stake and when the choice is between continued support and acceptance from a group by keeping quiet vs facing rejection from speaking up. It's not surprising many of us choose to stay silent; especially when we feel like we don't have anyone or anywhere else to turn.

  
  

Understanding these influences helps us recognize why we experience cognitive dissonance and empowers us to actively work towards reducing it in our personal lives and larger society.

How Does Cognitive Dissonance Appear in Everyday Life? How Do I Know I'm Experiencing It?

Cognitive dissonance is something we all experience, often without realizing it. It manifests in countless ways, such as:

• Saying you want to get fit but making excuses to skip workouts.

• Claiming financial security is important while frequently making impulsive purchases.

• Believing in honesty and expecting it from others but sugarcoating feedback to avoid confrontation.

• Preaching self-care while consistently overextending yourself to please others.

• Claiming to live a life lead by love while being critical of yourself and others

  
  

Signs that you are experiencing cognitive dissonance include:

1. Internal Conflict: You feel a nagging sense of discomfort when your actions don’t align with your stated values. Sometimes this can even manifest as anxiety.

2. Justification: You find yourself coming up with reasons to excuse behaviors that contradict your beliefs - "I don't have enough money"; "it was the only option I had"; "I was too tired"; "its not that big of a deal".

3. Avoidance: You ignore information or arguments that challenge your current way of thinking.

4. Guilt or Shame: You experience a feeling of unease that lingers when you recognize your own inconsistencies. (One of my friends recently described this as feeling claustrophobic existing as herself and I think thats because when you're experiencing cognitive dissonance you're not actually existing as yourself. Your body and mind both know your beliefs are "too big" for the space your choosing to occupy through your actions.)

   
   

Acknowledging this internal tension is the first step toward resolving it and making meaningful changes.

How Does Cognitive Dissonance Affect My Relationship With Myself?

When we consistently act in ways that contradict our values, we erode self-trust and create internal friction. Over time, this can lead to:

• Lower Self-Esteem: Self-confidence comes from self-trust - when you repeatedly break promises to yourself, you start to believe you cannot trust yourself to make changes that are necessary to align your beliefs with your actions.

• Procrastination & Inaction: The lack of self-trust that stems from cognitive dissonance convinces you change is too big a job for you to handle which leads to avoidance and keeps you in a freeze state.

• Internal Disconnection: Often times cognitive dissonance stems from your failure to sit down and partake in honest internal reflection. As cognitive dissonance grows, internal reflection becomes harder because your brain becomes so committed to a certain way of being, it refuses to ask question as a means of self-preservation. Sometimes Internal refection requires you to admit you are/were wrong and that can be a very hard thing to do. So instead you become stuck in a feedback loop of keeping yourself disconnected from yourself in-effort to avoid acknowledging your mistakes and changing

• Emotional Fatigue: Living with unresolved internal contradictions is mentally exhausting and can contribute to stress, anxiety, and burnout. It requires a lot of energy to continually find ways to justify actions you don't even agree with at your core. Imagine being in a never-ending debate with someone about what you believe is true....thats what is happening but it's with yourself.

  
  

By identifying areas where your actions don’t match your values, you can begin making small, intentional changes that strengthen your integrity and self-respect.

How Does It Affect My Relationship With Others?

Cognitive dissonance can also distort our interactions with others the same ways it affects ourselves. When we justify harmful behaviors or fail to take responsibility for contradictions, we may:

• Break Trust: If our words and actions don’t align, others may see us as unreliable or inauthentic.

• Engage in Hypocrisy: We may hold others to standards we ourselves don’t meet, leading to resentment and conflict.

• Avoid Difficult Conversations: To maintain our self-image, we may dismiss feedback or avoid admitting when we are wrong. It hurts when someone tells you something that makes you question your perception of yourself

  
  

On the flip side, recognizing and addressing cognitive dissonance can deepen our relationships. It allows for more honest communication, accountability, and alignment between what we say and how we act. We'll get to how we can recognize and address cognitive dissonance a little later!

How Does Cognitive Dissonance Distort My Perception of Other People and the World?

When faced with information that challenges our existing beliefs, cognitive dissonance often leads to defensiveness. Instead of adjusting our perspective, we may:

• Dismiss opposing views as biased or uninformed.

• Seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs (confirmation bias).

• Demonize those with different opinions rather than engaging in productive dialogue.

  
  

This distortion is a major driver of polarization, making it difficult for people to find common ground. It can also prevent us from seeing our own flaws and blind spots, keeping us from personal growth and greater understanding of the world. When we refuse to look at something for what it is, it makes it impossible to live in reality.

When you're living in a manufactured reality based on conflicting beliefs you cannot make choices that will be meaningful and impactful. You can't create friendships that are meaningful and impactful. Its like building a house on a foundation that doesn't exist and then wondering why the house keeps sinking when you lay down the bricks.

What Does Cognitive Dissonance Look Like in the Political Sphere?

Politics is a prime example of cognitive dissonance in action. Many voters and politicians hold contradictory positions, often without realizing it. Some of the most glaring examples include:

• Advocating for "small government" while supporting policies that expand government control over personal decisions, such as reproductive rights and marriage laws.

• Claiming to be "pro-life" but picking and choosing which lives are worth protecting

• Saying you want life to be more affordable but voting for politicians who seek to pass policy that benefit billionaires and their corporations at the expense of the the rest of America.

• Claiming to support military troops while voting for politicans who cut funding for veterans' healthcare and benefits.

• Enjoying the benefits of earth (going to the beach, hiking in nature) and voting for policies or politicians that are actively leading the destruction of nature

• Being “pro-America” and supporting wars that serve financial or geopolitical interests rather than defending American values or safety.

• Saying you love animals and voting for policies that displace animals for oil drilling

• Advocating for inclusitive and unity but only enaging in conversations about politics that align with your own

• Reprimanding capitalism while partaking in the overconsumption that supports it (fast fashion, buying the latest technology each year etc.)

This cognitive dissonance exists across party lines. For example, many Democrats claim to support economic equality but continue to back policies that favor Wall Street and big tech monopolies. Likewise, Republicans often promote "family values" while endorsing politicians whose behavior contradicts those ideals. The result is a political landscape in which decisions are driven more by identity and party loyalty than logical consistency or actual benefit to society.

How Has Cognitive Dissonance Exacerbated the Destruction of the Planet?

Perhaps the most dangerous example of cognitive dissonance is how we treat the planet. We live on Earth, depend on its resources, and yet actively participate in its destruction. Examples of this dissonance include:

• Saying we care about the environment while continuing unsustainable consumption habits.

• Acknowledging climate change but resisting policy changes that would require personal sacrifices.

• Supporting environmental initiatives while voting for leaders who prioritize fossil fuel expansion.

• Believing in the importance of clean water and air while supporting industries that pollute them.

  
  

It requires immense cognitive dissonance to ignore the fact that our survival is directly tied to the well-being of the planet. Every resource we rely on—air, water, food, energy—comes from the Earth. Yet, we act as if we are separate from nature, rather than intrinsically connected to it. Until we bridge the gap between what we know and what we do, we will continue accelerating environmental destruction that threatens future generations. Addressing this requires not only personal action but also systemic change, including corporate accountability and government policies that reflect ecological responsibility.

What Can We Do to Close the Cognitive Dissonance Gap?

To reduce cognitive dissonance, start by:

1. Practicing Radical Honesty: Regularly examine whether your actions align with your values and be honest with yourself when they don't. Don't let pride prevent you from seeing the truth.

2. Taking Responsibility: Acknowledge contradictions and commit to making small, sustainable changes.

3. Reminding yourself you're not perfect: Everyone experiences a little cognitive dissonance at times - you're human, its ok! Your ability to give yourself grace will make it much easier to acknowledge and change your behaviors when they are out of alignment with your beliefs.

4. Engaging in Open Dialogue: Challenge your own biases and remain open to new perspectives. Learn to listen even when you don't agree.

5. Voting with Integrity: Research policies and politicians beyond party lines. Pay attention to whether the politicians you support are suffering from their own cognitive dissonance - is there a gap between what they say they stand for and what they've done?

6. Leading by Example: Model the change you want to see in the world. Closing the cognitive dissonance gap starts with you! Commit yourself to a life where what you think and what you do promote the same end goal!

7. Involving yourself in communities that support your internal beliefs:  it is much easier to keep your thoughts and actions aligned when you have a support system who believe the same things and have already found ways to actively live in that truth. It provides a space to hold you accountable. Connection with others is a very imporant aspect to living a life with aligned thoughts and actions

   
   

Cognitive dissonance is a universal struggle, but confronting it can lead to personal growth, stronger relationships, better policies, and a healthier planet. The key is not perfection, but progress—one aligned action at a time.