A Theory Of Cognitive Dissonance Link

In 1954, Leon Festinger , a social psychologist, found himself fascinated by a bizarre newspaper headline about a cult called the Seekers. Led by a woman named Dorothy Martin, they believed that on December 21, the world would be destroyed by a great flood, and they alone would be rescued by a flying saucer from the planet Clarion.

Then came the pivot. At 4:45 a.m., Martin claimed to receive a new message: the group had spread so much light that God had decided to save the world from the flood. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

Afterward, the researchers paid some students $20 to lie to the next participant and say the task was "fun." They paid another group only $1 to tell the same lie. The results were counterintuitive: Cognitive Dissonance Theory: A Crash Course In 1954, Leon Festinger , a social psychologist,

To prove this wasn't just about cults, Festinger and James Carlsmith conducted a now-famous experiment. They asked students to perform a mind-numbingly boring task: turning wooden pegs on a board for an hour. At 4:45 a