45 Times People Didn't Notice The Irony In Their Behaviors

We got in touch with Independent_Ad_3915, and they were kind enough to take a little time and have a chat with us about their post.

"I sat down thinking about what would be a good question that everyone could associate with in some meaningful way," they told Bored Panda about its origins. "I remember thinking, 'What is your happiest memory? Or, biggest recurring thought? Or, biggest self-delusion?'"

"I then decided on a question that focuses on how someone views the thoughts of others."

The Redditor noticed that there were a lot of references to American politics in the answers. "Some people were just putting in 'Democrats' or 'Republicans' as their answer."

That might be due to the fact that over the past years, Democrats and Republicans have both grown increasingly likely to view members of the opposing party through a negative lens.

A 2022 poll found that majorities of Democrats describe Republicans as being more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, and unintelligent than other Americans; majorities of Republicans describe Democrats as each of the above, with the further addition of lazy.

"I don't think there is a world where people can fully live true to any belief system," the author of the post said. "Because the reality around us will give us particular situations that will force us to compromise or even betray those beliefs in some way."

"Most people aren't even aware of that; however, they are overly strong on the power of belief and the ideal of 'I am right.' And what you think in your head does not match facts on the ground is where cognitive dissonance will occur. That does not mean there is no higher morality or ethics that people should aspire to."

"To put it simply, people need to accept that the reality in their minds and the real world rarely match each other 100 percent on every topic," they added.

But interestingly, cognitive dissonance can sometimes be a tool for personal and social change. Drawing a person's attention to the disparity between their behavior and their values may increase their awareness of the inconsistency and empower them to act.

For example, a 2019 study noted that dissonance-based interventions may be helpful for people with eating disorders. This approach works by encouraging patients to say things or role-play behaviors that contradict their beliefs about food and body image, creating dissonance.

The theory behind this approach is that, in order to resolve it, a person's implicit beliefs about their body and thinness will change, reducing their desire to limit food intake.

So a lot depends on the circumstances.