We are rarely conscious about the cognitive dissonance phenomenon which causes our guilt. See the case of Lupita, who considers herself an animal lover and takes that extra step to buy “not animal tested” products, however, she eats meat, even though she understands that some animals are kept under despicable circumstances before consumption. Lupita’s brain will try to look for balance between her self-perception as an animal lover and her love for meat. In Lupita’s case one way her brain might solve the dissonance would be to decrease her consumption of meat.
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological theory proposed by the New Yorker, Leon Festinguer. It is described as the conflict between cognitions in the brain. Understanding by cognitions: actions, thoughts, feelings and/or opinions, especially after decision-making when one prioritizes a choice and feels the need to support that decision further.
In the initial case, the dissonance is expressed in shame when she eats meat, clearly showing that the brain enjoys being coherent in actions and thoughts. Shown too in the changes of brain activity in the decision-making prefrontal cortex skills when subjects are presented with cognitive dissonance. Since the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex generates a “neural error-signal reflecting the need for behavioral adjustments” similar to Error-related negativity, which are changes in dopamine after committing a mistake in cognitive tasks.
To reduce cognitive dissonance, two paths can be undergone: the first is to find information that reinforce the original belief, the second is being open to change your opinion after good supporting evidence has been given. Concluding, while cognitive dissonance might be more complex than shown here, we can still understand that we have conflicts everywhere, including our brain, yet the most important step is knowing how to solve them.
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