Example

Example of Cognitive Dissonance: Smoking

Cognitive dissonance is aroused when a person holds inconsistent beliefs and behaviors. A classic example is an individual who holds the belief that smoking is bad for their health, but continues the behavior of smoking. This inconsistency causes cognitive dissonance. To reduce this dissonance, the individual can either change their behavior, such as by quitting smoking, or change their belief, such as by discounting the evidence that smoking is harmful and concluding that the research is inconclusive.

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Updated 2026-05-17

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