Editing Cognitive dissonance (section)

=== Selective exposure ===
Another means to reduce cognitive dissonance is [[selective exposure theory|selective exposure]]. This theory has been discussed since the early days of Festinger's proposal of cognitive dissonance. He noticed that people would selectively expose themselves to some media over others; specifically, they would avoid dissonant messages and prefer consonant messages.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = D'Alessio D, Allen M | title = Selective exposure and dissonance after decisions | journal = Psychological Reports | volume = 91 | issue = 2 | pages = 527–532 | date = October 2002 | pmid = 12416847 | doi = 10.2466/pr0.2002.91.2.527 | s2cid = 13091938 }}</ref> Through selective exposure, people actively (and selectively) choose what to watch, view, or read that fit to their current state of mind, mood or beliefs.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zillman D |author-link1=Dolf Zillman |title= Mood Management in the Context of Selective Exposure Theory |journal=[[Annals of the International Communication Association]] |date=2000 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=103–123 |doi=10.1080/23808985.2000.11678971 |s2cid=148208494 }}</ref> In other words, consumers select attitude-consistent information and avoid attitude-challenging information.<ref name="metzger">{{cite journal | vauthors = Metzger MJ, Hartsell EH, Flanagin AJ |title= Cognitive Dissonance or Credibility? A Comparison of Two Theoretical Explanations for Selective Exposure to Partisan News. |journal=[[Communication Research]] |date=2015 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=3–28 |doi=10.1177/0093650215613136 |s2cid=46545468 }}</ref> This can be applied to media, news, music, and any other messaging channel. The idea is, choosing something that is in opposition to how you feel or believe in will increase cognitive dissonance.

For example, a study was done in an elderly home in 1992 on the loneliest residents—those that did not have family or frequent visitors. The residents were shown a series of documentaries: three that featured a "very happy, successful elderly person", and three that featured an "unhappy, lonely elderly person."<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | vauthors = Mares ML, Cantor J |title= Elderly Viewers' Responses to Televised Portrayals of Old Age Empathy and Mood Management Versus Social Comparison. |journal=[[Communication Research]] |date=1992 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=469–478 |doi=10.1177/009365092019004004 |s2cid=146427447 }}</ref> After watching the documentaries, the residents indicated they preferred the media featuring the unhappy, lonely person over the happy person. This can be attested to them feeling lonely, and experiencing cognitive dissonance watching somebody their age feeling happy and being successful. This study explains how people select media that aligns with their mood, as in selectively exposing themselves to people and experiences they are already experiencing. It is more comfortable to see a movie about a character that is similar to you than to watch one about someone who is your age who is more successful than you.

Another example to note is how people mostly consume media that aligns with their political views. In a study done in 2015, participants were shown "attitudinally consistent, challenging, or politically balanced online news."<ref name="metzger"/>{{rp|p=3}} Results showed that the participants trusted attitude-consistent news the most out of all the others, regardless of the source. It is evident that the participants actively selected media that aligns with their beliefs rather than opposing media.<ref name="metzger" />

In fact, recent research has suggested that while a discrepancy between cognitions drives individuals to crave for attitude-consistent information, the experience of negative emotions drives individuals to avoid counter attitudinal information. In other words, it is the psychological discomfort which activates selective exposure as a dissonance-reduction strategy.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal | vauthors = Tsang SJ |title=Cognitive Discrepancy, Dissonance, and Selective Exposure |journal=Media Psychology |date=4 May 2019 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=394–417 |doi=10.1080/15213269.2017.1282873 |s2cid=220378435 }}</ref>