Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Global Warming and Cognitive Dissonance


According to a recent Gallup poll, 74% of liberals but only 30% of conservatives believe that "the effects of global warming are already occurring." This is an interesting statistic because we would not normally expect disagreements of fact to divide along ideological lines. Facts are neither liberal nor conservative. The methods of science are independent of ideology, and the same data are available to both liberals and conservatives.

Note that disagreement about the facts is a different thing altogether from disagreement about what to do about the facts. It is not surprising that liberals and conservatives disagree about what would be an appropriate response to global warming. Liberals are more likely to advocate the regulation of industrial greenhouse gas emissions than conservatives since conservatives are generally opposed to government regulation of business.

So what are we to make of the data that shows an apparent relationship between beliefs about the facts of global warming and political affiliation? Perhaps the best explanation appeals to the notion of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs when a person holds conflicting beliefs or attitudes. A smoker, for instance, might experience cognitive dissonance that arises from the conflict between his belief that smoking will kill him and his desire to smoke cigarettes. In Mistakes Were Made (but not by me), Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson describe this case as follows:

Dissonance produces mental discomfort, ranging from minor pangs to deep anguish; people don't rest easy until they find a way to reduce it. In this example, the most direct way for a smoker to reduce dissonance is by quitting. But if she has tried to quit and failed, now she must reduce dissonance by convincing herself that smoking isn't really so harmful, or that smoking is worth the risk because it helps her relax or prevents her from gaining weight (and after all, obesity is a health risk, too), and so on. Most smokers manage to reduce dissonance in many such ingenious, if self-deluding, ways.

Similarly, a conservative might experience cognitive dissonance arising from the conflict between her belief in global warming and her aversion to regulating business. Just as a smoker can relieve her dissonance by denying that smoking is harmful, a conservative can relieve her dissonance by denying that global warming is happening. Thus, the theory of cognitive dissonance would predict that people's beliefs about global warming would divide along ideological lines.

In general, cognitive dissonance is a universal and powerful motivator. All of us are prone to various forms of self-delusion when our beliefs and attitudes come into conflict. We should all take special note when groups disagree about the facts along ideological lines. In such cases, there is a good chance that one side or the other is motivated more by cognitive dissonance than by good science.

See Also:
Denialism
Scientists Create First Synthetic Life Form
Beautiful Hubble Images

4 comments:

David Patton said...

I just finished reading Once Upon A Cow. It's about the false beliefs and attitudes ("cows") we all nurture that prevent us from reaching our full potential.The smoking illustration is a good example. In centuries past, skeptics of science were influenced primarily by religious leaders. Today its conservative talk-show hosts.

Anonymous said...

If you want "facts" then listen up:
We're in the end phases of moving away from the last Ice Age. Get over it! Science not "feelings" are key. Can we do things to lessen our impact on the planet? YES of course we can! Can we stop Mother Nature from going through her normal cycles? No way Jose! When you learn how to stop a volcano from erupting, an asteroid from entering the Earth's atmosphere, or stopping the carbon output of all cow flatulence, call me! Otherwise, find something else to do with your life that's beneficial and not critical!

Michael Perkins said...

Click here for an overview of the facts about global warming.

What causes global warming said...

Very enlightning, Micheal. Do you work in any kind of psychology? As for the subject, We could respess and depress, huff and puff, but only time and nature will make the final call. And then, nothing of the above will matter.

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