Ice Cream, Health, and Cognitive Dissonance.

As naive children, we all experienced having two conflicting thoughts that left us confused, perhaps even uncomfortable. Most likely, this confusion was caused by our parents when we had our favorite ice cream in hand, a smile on our face. As we brought the cone to our mouths, their declaration echoed: too much ice cream could be bad for our health, or we'd 'ruin' our teeth. At that moment, in our little heads, we had two clashing thoughts: on one hand, we loved ice cream and wanted to eat it; on the other, our parents' concern for our health became our own. Afterward, we felt confused, and probably uneasy, because two thoughts in our brains didn't align, perhaps even 'fought'.

This phenomenon is known in psychology as cognitive dissonance. When we experience cognitive dissonance, our brain tries its best to resolve that discomfort in some way. A possible solution might have been to decide not to eat ice cream to protect our health, or we could have chosen to enjoy the ice cream and ignore health concerns.

In some situations, we change our thoughts to align with what we already believe, and sometimes we change our behavior to align with what we think. And sometimes we do nothing because the cognitive dissonance is large and strong enough to paralyze us in any decision-making.

Just as cognitive dissonance happened to us when we were little, it happens to us now as adults. It happens to everyone and, generally, it's not a bad thing. It's actually a sign that our brain is working and thinking about things.

It's important to be aware of cognitive dissonance and understand that it can be normal to have conflicting thoughts. When it happens, it's necessary to explore different perspectives, seek more information, and make decisions based on what's best for us.

Most people function this way, but only as long as we have something to hold onto, something to compare things, events, and opinions against. However, when we lack that ability, we experience paralysis-a constant war in our minds. This 'war' leads to inaction, or the inability to make decisions. The inability to get moving creates a feeling of helplessness. After helplessness comes a period or feeling of frustration, then disappointment and anger or rage. And usually, all this stems from a feeling of inability to establish control (over life, work) and change the situation.

Anger can be directed towards ourselves, resulting in an even greater feeling of disappointment or failure, or towards others, blaming them for our state.

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a concept in psychology that describes the discomfort or tension an individual experiences when holding conflicting or incompatible thoughts, beliefs, or values. This concept was developed by American social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957.

According to cognitive dissonance theory, people strive to maintain consistency among their beliefs, opinions, and behaviors. When faced with information or situations that contradict their existing beliefs or values, dissonance, or inconsistency, arises.

This dissonance creates discomfort and motivates the person to reduce that inconsistency to restore coherence. There are three basic ways people often reduce cognitive dissonance, but the question remains which approach is correct and ultimately good for us:

• Change behavior: We can change our behavior to align with new information or a new situation.
• Change beliefs: We can change our beliefs or opinions to align with new information or a new situation.
• Suppression of information: Or we can suppress or ignore information that contradicts our existing beliefs to avoid discomfort.

Cognitive dissonance has important implications for understanding our behavior, decision-making, and how we change our attitudes. It helps us understand why people resist change, why we sometimes justify contradictory behaviors, or why we selectively choose information that supports our existing beliefs.

Psychologists use the concept of cognitive dissonance to investigate human behavior and develop strategies to help people recognize and confront contradictions in their thinking and actions.

Why Cognitive Dissonance Is Unpleasant – Cognitive Dissonance and Brain Function

When a person experiences cognitive dissonance, several parts of the brain will activate.

One of the involved brain regions is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), located in the front part of our brain and responsible for processing information related to emotions and conflicts. The anterior cingulate cortex activates when a person experiences cognitive dissonance and will typically indicate emotional discomfort.

Another part of the brain that can activate in cases of cognitive dissonance is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is involved in information processing, planning, and decision-making. When a person tries to resolve cognitive dissonance, the DLPFC can help analyze information and make decisions about how to cope with the dissonance.

A third part of the brain likely to activate is the striatum, which plays an important role in motivation and self-reward. By reducing cognitive dissonance, it will activate to stimulate a sense of reward and satisfaction within us.

And now, problems arise if we haven't resolved cognitive dissonance. On one hand, we feel discomfort, and on the other, the feeling of reward, which we previously experienced in similar situations, is absent.

The Persistence of Cognitive Dissonance

Therefore, it is important to be aware of cognitive dissonance and understand that it can be normal to have conflicting thoughts. It is also important to explore different perspectives, seek more information, and make decisions based on what is best for us.

And most people function this way, but only until we have something to grasp, something to compare things, events, and opinions with. However, when we don't have that ability, we experience paralysis, a constant war in our minds.

Furthermore, a failure to resolve cognitive dissonance can also lead to inconsistency in decision-making, which will negatively impact the quality of life. This can lead to a situation where we are constantly exposed to internal conflict and insecurity due to conflicting thoughts or values.

This 'war' leads to inaction, or the inability to make decisions. The inability to get moving creates a feeling of helplessness. After helplessness comes a period or feeling of frustration, then disappointment and anger or rage. And usually, all this stems from a feeling of inability to establish control (over life, work) and change the situation.

Anger can be directed towards ourselves, resulting in an even greater feeling of disappointment or failure, or towards others, blaming them for our state.

The long-term presence of cognitive dissonance will have negative consequences for mental health, such as increased stress, anxiety, and depression, in addition to the aforementioned feeling of helplessness. It will also affect self-esteem and self-confidence, as we will begin to doubt our own values and abilities.

It is important to actively work on resolving cognitive dissonance to maintain emotional well-being and develop constructive thinking. This can include examining one's beliefs, seeking additional information, engaging in constructive discussions with others, changing perspectives, or seeking support from mental health professionals.

Brain Paralysis

The paralyzing aspect of cognitive dissonance stems from the difficulties we can experience when confronting internal conflict and the necessity of changing our attitudes. We can also find ourselves trapped between contradictory beliefs or between the behavioral patterns we have and the behavioral patterns we wish to have.

Such internal conflict can cause stress, anxiety, and general discomfort, which can lead to 'mind paralysis.' We won't consider mind paralysis a generally accepted psychological term, but it is useful here to describe a state in which we experience a block, an inability, or difficulty in making decisions, thinking, or acting.

Mind paralysis can manifest in various ways. A person may feel overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions, have difficulty concentrating and focusing, struggle with decision-making, or lack energy and motivation to act. The feeling of mind paralysis can often lead to stagnation, avoidance of challenges, or procrastination.

The state of mind paralysis can be frustrating and limiting because the person may feel trapped or blocked in their thoughts and actions. It can lead to a loss of productivity, worsening mental health, and a reduced ability to cope with challenges.

Defense Against Cognitive Dissonance

We often develop defense mechanisms to avoid confronting cognitive dissonance. We can do this by ignoring or denying information that conflicts with our existing beliefs, finding rationalizations or justifications for contradictory behavior, or seeking support and confirmation from others who share the same beliefs.

To overcome mind paralysis caused by cognitive dissonance, it is important for a person to be open to accepting new information, understanding their internal conflicts, and being willing to change attitudes and behaviors. This can include introspection, seeking additional information, talking with others who have different perspectives, and openness to growth and change.

And that is why, especially today, in the context of the war happening around us, it is hard to say that words are a deadly weapon. But they are. What is written, can be a deadly weapon.

And that is why clarity and consistency in communication are essential in our companies. If not for the people, then for Ms. Cognitive Dissonance. Feedback and good communication in general are a good solution for everyone.