Title: Why Many People Stubbornly Refuse to Change Their Minds | Psychology Today
Headings: Why Many People Stubbornly Refuse to Change Their Minds
Clifford N. Lazarus Ph.D.
Why Many People Stubbornly Refuse to Change Their Minds
Why many people don’t let facts get in the way of their cherished beliefs.

Content: Why Many People Stubbornly Refuse to Change Their Minds | Psychology Today
Clifford N. Lazarus Ph.D.
Think Well
Why Many People Stubbornly Refuse to Change Their Minds
Why many people don’t let facts get in the way of their cherished beliefs. Posted Dec 24, 2018 | Reviewed by Devon Frye
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Source: Andy Dean Photography/Shutterstock
Why do many people staunchly defend their opinions and beliefs even in the face of overwhelming evidence that their ideas and views are totally incorrect? One explanation is the common phenomenon of cognitive dissonance. Cognition is simply thinking and reasoning. It is the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, reason, analysis of information, and experience. Dissonance is a musical term that means a lack of harmony among musical notes, but can also mean a tension or clash that results from disharmonious or contradictory components. In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. The discomfort is triggered by a situation in which a person’s belief clashes with new evidence introduced to that person. To reduce the psychological discomfort, the person will have to change either their mind or their behavior so that the inconsistency or contradiction is resolved, thus restoring mental balance and emotional harmony.