The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people are averse to inconsistencies within their own minds. It offers one explanation for why people sometimes make an effort to adjust their ...

It is the subject of a new theory based on experiments showing that the grass is usually not greener on the other side of the fence and that grapes are sourest when ...

This creates a mental state known as cognitive dissonance, when “an individual’s cognitions — beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors—are at odds” (Egan et al., 2007, p. 978). Cognitive dissonance is an ...