Cognitive Dissonance: Why We Ignore Facts That Contradict Our Story

Standing beside the vending machine at work, you find yourself defending your favorite snack, brushing aside half-joking complaints from a colleague. Later, you catch yourself cheering a sports team or defending a political decision, even before you’ve heard all the facts. There’s comfort in backing up your first choice, even as more evidence trickles in.

This tendency isn’t just stubbornness; psychologists call it ‘cognitive dissonance’—our deep discomfort with holding two conflicting ideas at once. To quiet that discomfort, our brains ignore or rationalize anything that doesn’t fit our chosen story or initial impression, whether that’s which brand to trust, who to vote for, or what food to eat. On a chilly evening, you might recall a time you justified a big buy, stacking facts in favor of your side until second thoughts faded away.

Researchers have documented how once we commit (even in tiny ways), we’ll twist new facts to keep ourselves “right.” A little humility—spotting the bias as it pops up—lets you actually use this brain wiring for good: if you consciously align the stories you tell yourself with positive habits or growth, confirmation bias can reinforce change instead of blocking it.

Begin by quietly owning the beliefs and assumptions you’re holding as you make a choice or defend a viewpoint—it’s okay to notice your bias, because everybody has them. After an important decision or argument, take a moment to reflect: did you automatically seek out evidence that agreed with you, or did you ignore something inconvenient? Next time, deliberately check out an opposing idea, just to see how it lands—and be curious about your emotional response. Practice this, and you’ll start catching bias as it happens, making your decisions clearer and more flexible.