When can I see friends and co-workers, start a new love affair, travel? What level of risk am I prepared to tolerate? The way we answer these questions has momentous implications for our health as individuals and for the health of our communities.
Even more important, and far less obvious, is that because of the unconscious motivation to reduce dissonance, the way we answer these questions has repercussions for how we behave after making our initial decision. Will we be flexible, or will we keep reducing dissonance by insisting that our earliest decisions were right? The challenge is to find a way to live with uncertainty, make the most informed decisions we can, and modify them when the scientific evidence dictates—as our leading researchers are already doing.
Admitting we were wrong requires some self-reflection—which involves living with the dissonance for a while rather than jumping immediately to a self-justification.
Understanding how dissonance operates reveals a few practical lessons for overcoming it, starting by examining the two dissonant cognitions and keeping them separate. He did neither. Why am I behaving this way? Have I thought it through or am I simply taking a short cut, following the party line, or justifying the effort I put in to join the group? And your dog chooses that moment to do his business.
You take a quick look along the street. Once home, you begin to feel guilty. You ran out of bags. Chances are, you value your health.
You make a conscious effort to choose nutritious foods, try to avoid processed foods and soda, and shoot for eight hours of sleep every night. But you spend most of your day sitting at your desk. You even joined a gym a while back, but you never go.
Every time you see the membership tag on your keychain, it reminds you of that pesky truth — that exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle. Finally, you decide to go to the gym. You start going to bed earlier and get up with enough time to work out. You and your partner live in a large city.
One day, your partner comes home from work with some news. You feel unhappy. Little by little, you begin to consider the pros of living in a small town. You even read some articles on small-town living. Small towns are safer, you think. The cost of living will be lower. I just had one bite. It can have a positive effect, too, if it leads to increased self-awareness that can help you grow, Johnson says. As a result of changing her behavior to fit what she believes makes her happy, she might actually become happier, Leikam says.
By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: March 6, Medically Reviewed. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. Need even more definitions? Just between us: it's complicated. Ask the Editors 'Everyday' vs. What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'? How 'literally' can mean "figuratively". Literally How to use a word that literally drives some pe Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice? The awkward case of 'his or her'.
0コメント