by Most of the time, cognitive dissonance seems like an internal battle: You believe one thing but act in opposition to that belief, or you believe two contradictory things and are forced to reconcile the inconsistencies within your mind. (1) But, there may be external forces such as advertising, marketing, or public relations responsible for creating the dissonance, too.
After all, the main job of these industries is to influence the views and behaviors of consumers like you. (2) Like it or not, you’ve likely experienced cognitive dissonance as a result of media or marketing influences, you just may not have recognized it.
Advertisers try to paint a picture that your life isn’t complete without their product or their service. Many use cognitive dissonance to point out the inconsistencies between the idealized version of you and the real-life you. You experience dissonance because you want to see yourself in that idealized way, but you don’t necessarily use that product or service.
“It’s a tool that marketers and advertisers use all the time,” says Matt Johnson, PhD, professor and associate dean at Hult International Business School in San Francisco. “A lot of advertisements are set up where they’ll make this explicit claim that you’re only cool or beautiful or worthy (or some other positive attribute) if you own this product or service.”
Think about a shampoo commercial. A beautiful woman’s hair blows in the wind. She looks happy, healthy, and gorgeous. The underlying message is that you too could look happy, healthy, and gorgeous if you use the same shampoo she uses. You experience dissonance because you want to look and feel happy, healthy, and gorgeous, but you don’t necessarily use that shampoo.
You, the consumer, are left with a few options, Johnson explains. You can reject the claim completely (which is what very strong-minded people do, Johnson says). Or you can resolve the dissonance by accepting the message and changing your behavior, meaning you buy the shampoo. Or you can resolve the dissonance by accepting the message and changing your belief. You may start to see yourself as less beautiful and healthy because you don’t use that product, Johnson says.
“You can modify your original belief system or you can resolve the cognitive dissonance by actually buying what they’re selling,” Johnson says. The advertiser, of course, wants you to do the latter. And if you choose the former, your self-esteem will likely take a hit since you must acknowledge you don’t possess these positive qualities.
When Cognitive Dissonance Leads to Good Behavior
But ads and public relations can sway people to practice good behavior, too. Maybe an advertisement is trying to persuade you to buy a product or service that’s in your best interest and could benefit your long-term health, Johnson says. A piece of exercise equipment that’ll keep your heart healthy, for example, or even switching to a toxin-free deodorant could end up being a good influence. Public relations campaigns have rebranded recycling as “cool.”
Using cognitive dissonance in communications can nudge people into positive behavior, too, Johnson says.
If, however, you’re constantly viewing advertisements that make you reconsider your actions or your beliefs, you’ll inevitably feel stressed because you’ll need to continually resolve these internal conflicts, Johnson says. “If you’re constantly being bombarded by advertisements and having to resolve this, then it can lead to chronic stress, which is really bad.” Being chronically stressed for a prolonged time can lead to lowered immunity, heart disease, or changes in your brain.
