While faking it, two brain regions were particularly active in both groups: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the anterior insula. One of the functions of the dACC is to detect conflicts between incompatible bits of information, and it’s especially active when a person lies. The anterior insular is similar in that it monitors psychological conflicts such as a clash between stated beliefs and actual beliefs. The more that the volunteers lied in answering questions about their enjoyment of the fMRI experience, the more those regions lit up.
What’s interesting about this study is that when the participants were later debriefed about their actual attitudes toward the scanner, those who were asked to fake their enjoyment for the “worried patient” actually changed their true beliefs more than participants who were paid $1. In fact, those who faked their feelings about the scanner had greater activity in the dACC, and later said that they truly enjoyed it. Was it the brain activity that accompanied cognitive dissonance that had changed the participants’ minds about the experience of being in the fMRI? Or was it rationalization that increased the activity in this brain region?
Taking a different perspective on our original thoughts — via the technique used in cognitive behavior therapy — can subsequently alter brain activity, which then makes us feel and think differently. The greater the cognitive dissonance people feel, the more likely they are to change their beliefs and streamline them with their actions.
Moreover, we rely on our memory to fill us in on what happened in the past, but, the truth is, it can and does become distorted in self-enhancing directions. It is often pruned and molded by our self-serving bias. We may gradually begin to think that a situation wasn’t entirely our fault or that it was too complex to handle properly. Before long, we can persuade ourselves to believe in an alternate version of what may have actually happened.
The distortion is necessary in order to keep our self-perception consistent. Dissonance theory predicts that we will eventually (and conveniently) forget good arguments made by opponents just as we forget silly arguments we made ourselves. It helps us disregard discrepant and selective information that doesn’t align with what we want to believe. It’s motivated by our need to be right, preserve self-esteem and make up for our mishaps, and as the self-serving spins of memory kick in and over time, we may forget or distort past events and gradually come to believe in our own lies.
Here’s the thing: No one is immune to the need to reduce dissonance, even those who know the theory inside and out. In reality, we’re all suckers for a happy ending, even if it’s one that we have to make up for ourselves or even piece together with tape. But the key is to become more aware of our thought processes so that we will be able to acknowledge serious mistakes instead of justifying them.
If we understand how and when to reduce dissonance, we can become more vigilant about the process and often nip it in the bud. By looking at our actions critically and dispassionately, we stand a chance of breaking out of the cycle of self-justification. We can learn to put a little space between what we feel and how we respond, insert a moment of reflection and hold on to a belief that is unfettered by facts. As a result, it can help us make sharper conscious choices instead of letting automatic, self-protective mechanisms resolve our discomfort in our favor.
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s Winter 2014 issue.
