What is likely to happen when a person experiences cognitive dissonance?

When a person experiences cognitive dissonance, they are faced with a situation where their beliefs, attitudes, or values conflict with their actions or new information. This psychological discomfort motivates individuals to reduce the inconsistency and restore harmony between their beliefs and behaviors. One common way to alleviate this discomfort is by creating a new belief or modifying an existing belief to be more in line with their actions.

For instance, if someone values health but engages in unhealthy eating habits, they may resolve the dissonance by justifying their behavior (e.g., "Eating junk food occasionally is fine because I exercise regularly") or adopting a new belief that allows them to feel better about their choices. By changing their beliefs to align more closely with their actions, they reduce the mental strain caused by cognitive dissonance.

The other options, while they could occur in different contexts, would not be the primary outcome of experiencing cognitive dissonance. For instance, becoming more confident in beliefs may happen if the individual reinforces their existing beliefs without acknowledging the conflict, but it is not a typical resolution to the discomfort of cognitive dissonance. Ignoring the contradictions may provide temporary relief, but it often does not lead to the long-term resolution of the dissonance. Asking others for