Humans are creatures of comfort. We like to feel safe and secure because it is embedded in our inherent will to survive. Early humans were nomadic and in constant search of the next meal. But as we evolved, humans grew comfortable in their surroundings and secure in their abilities. We settled into civilizations and developed technology that allows us, in present day, to maximize our level of comfort. However, the meaning of comfort coevolved with our cognition. Back then, comfort was a meal and shelter, but today, comfort finds its way to us in many forms: a warm blanket, a call to your mother, or perhaps just a hug. Though we take risks on a day-to-day basis, we are somehow always able to return to knowing that everything will be ok. We dwell …show more content…
For example, we might draw a conclusion that a new song sounds similar to one we are already like , or that a new person we are introduced to reminds us of another friend. Perhaps the most classic example is the phrase “tastes like chicken,” in which we are able to relate a new food or flavor to the taste of chicken. Dissonance comes into play when newly presented stimuli do not align with our previously held schemata (Festinger, 1957), and dissoance is extremely uncomfortable. As explained by Festinger (1957), humans will do everything in their will power to reduce the discomfort caused by holding contradictory beliefs, which is exactly why dissonance can be so persuasive. Because we like to feel secure in ourselves and the beliefs we hold, we work actively to bring balance between our thoughts and actions. Festinger (1957) defines three possible relationships between our beliefs and behaviors. The first is irrelevance, which means our beliefs and actions have nothing to do with eachother. The second is consonance, which occurs when our actions uphold our beliefs. Festinger (1957) states that this is preferred relationship because we strive for consistency in our actions and beliefs. The third and final relationship is dissonance, which occurs when our actions contradict our beliefs. To alleviate dissonace, we may choose to either shift our beliefs or change our