托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the concept of 'cognitive dissonance' refers to the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes. This discomfort often motivates individuals to reduce the inconsistency by changing their beliefs, adding new ones, or trivializing the conflict. For example, a person who values health but smokes may experience dissonance, leading them to either quit smoking or rationalize that smoking is not as harmful as studies suggest.

Professor: Today we’ll look at cognitive dissonance in a real-life context. Consider a student named Mark who considers himself an environmentalist. He drives a gas-guzzling SUV, which he knows harms the environment. This creates dissonance—his actions clash with his self-image. To reduce this discomfort, Mark first tries to rationalize: he tells himself his SUV is safer for his family, and safety outweighs environmental impact. But the dissonance persists. Then, he decides to change his behavior: he sells the SUV and buys a hybrid car. Now his actions align with his environmental values, and the dissonance disappears. This example shows two common ways people resolve dissonance—by changing beliefs or changing actions.