This is a situation where an individual feels mental discomfort due to contradictory beliefs, attitudes or behaviours which results in a change of beliefs or attitudes to harmonise this friction[1]. Individuals are motivated to calm this dissonance by changing their behaviour, attitudes or actions. This involves a strong form of confirmation bias[2], which allows the individual to filter any non-conforming information or evidence, when increased dissonance is experienced.
This is commonly seen in cults. Friction between cult beliefs and reality causes cognitive dissonance amongst members of the cult. Members filter non-conforming information to the extent that they stop associating with anyone carrying a contradictory belief. They cut off family and friends from the social circle and fill it with individuals who share the same beliefs. This creates an echo chamber within an epistemic network, which reinforces their belief, calming their cognitive dissonance. A milder variation of this can be seen through society with such conspiracy as Covid-19 or 5G[3].
Humans desire for consistency and habit are directly rooted in our demand for less cognitive load, a ‘laziness’ which pushes us to use heuristics, which can push us to change habits, behaviours and actions, to decrease the load that cognitive dissonance places on our amygdala.
[1] Festinger, L. 1919-1989. (1962) A theory of cognitive dissonance / Leon Festinger. Stanford University Press. Available at: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=9a1ee125-ca54-3298-a920-ea3cb9caf99e (Accessed: 7 May 2024).
[2] Confirmation bias refers to a tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information that supports existing beliefs, while ignoring any contradictory evidence or information.