Editing Cognitive Dissonance Theory (section)

=='''Overview'''==
"''Cognitive dissonance theory proposes that people want consistency between what they believe and what they do, and if these two are not consistent with each, people feel an unsettled feeling of tension'' <ref> Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.</ref>''.''" A simple metaphor to understand the concept is harmony in music. Whenever the notes played do not resolve, in other words, when they do not follow the rules of harmony, the instrument's annoying sound creates dissonance. And often, the [[Learning emotions | emotions]] associated with dissonance are unpleasant. When taking that situation of dissonance into cognitive science, the "inharmonious clash" between one's beliefs and behavior can cause troubling feelings in our brains <ref>Martinez M. E. (2010). Learning and cognition : the design of the mind. (pp. 153–188) Merrill. <nowiki>http://books.google.com/books?id=wqFWAAAAYAAJ</nowiki</ref>.

Most people are not born seeking and indulging in their negative feelings, so they want to resolve that cognitive dissonance whenever that happens. We either change our behaviors, which is more morally imperative, as we are supposed to do what we are supposed to do, or, more interestingly, we change our beliefs to match, or to put it more straightforward, to justify our behaviors <ref>Martinez M. E. (2010). Learning and cognition : the design of the mind. (pp. 153–188) Merrill. <nowiki>http://books.google.com/books?id=wqFWAAAAYAAJ</nowiki></ref>. After all, we are not rational beings but rationalizing beings <ref >Martinez M. E. (2010). Learning and cognition : the design of the mind. (pp. 153–188) Merrill. <nowiki>http://books.google.com/books?id=wqFWAAAAYAAJ</nowiki></ref>. Therefore, we make a lot of effort to make things seem right, to give our brain a reason to be at peace.