Why we rationalize our bad decisions
When our beliefs clash with our actions, we often change our attitudes to reduce mental discomfort, a process called cognitive dissonance.
Ever feel uneasy when your actions don't match your beliefs? That's cognitive dissonance, a mental discomfort identified by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957. To ease this tension, people often change their attitudes rather than their behavior. For example, someone who buys an expensive item they regret might convince themselves it was a smart purchase after all.
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