Festinger's Experiment

Festinger's experiment, known as the "Cognitive Dissonance Study," explored how people change their beliefs to reduce discomfort caused by conflicting thoughts. Participants were asked to perform boring tasks and then tell others it was enjoyable, for little or no pay. Those paid $1 experienced more discomfort but changed their opinions to justify their lying, convincing themselves they actually enjoyed the task. This demonstrated that people often adjust their beliefs to align with their actions when there’s insufficient external motivation, minimizing psychological discomfort—a concept called cognitive dissonance.