Book Titles

Once we understand how and when we need to reduce dissonance, we can become more vigilant about the process and often nip it in the bud, catching ourselves before we slide too far down the pyramid.

By looking at our actions critically and dispassionately… we stand a chance of breaking out of the cycle of action, followed by self-justification, followed by more committed action.

Social scientists are finding that once people are aware of their biases, know how they work, and pay mindful attention to them… they have greater power to control them.

Becoming aware that we are in a state of dissonance can also help us make sharper, smarter, conscious choices instead of letting automatic, self-protective mechanisms resolve our discomfort in our favor.

You keep the message separate from the messenger. In this way, we might learn how to change our minds before our brains freeze our thoughts into consistent patterns.

[Americans] think that making mistakes means they are stupid. That belief is precisely what keeps them from learning from their mistakes.

Understanding how dissonance operates helps us rethink our own muddles, and it’s also a useful skill for helping friends and relatives get out of theirs.

So embedded is the link between mistakes and stupidity in American culture that it can be shocking to learn that not all cultures share it.

Making mistakes is central to the education of budding scientists and artists of all kinds; they must have the freedom to experiment, try this idea, flop, try another idea, take a risk, be willing to get the wrong answer.

The focus on constant testing, which grew out of the reasonable desire to measure and standardize children’s accomplishments, has intensified their fear of failure.