Hello again, it’s been a while.
The last few months I haven’t been writing. The new wave of generative AI tools and the implications startled me, and stopped me in my tracks.
I’ve always used writing as a tool for creating meaning, but now that machines write so well it feels less meaningful. Can I spin this into a neat post about cognitive dissonance?
What is cognitive dissonance?
Cognitive dissonance is the psychological tension we feel as we try to reckon with some kind of internal conflict.
It might occur when we hold beliefs, values, or ideas at the same time that are contradictory, or when our behavior is inconsistent with our beliefs or values.
Most of the time we quickly try to get rid of the discomfort. Maybe we will dismiss the information that is in conflict so we can feel comfortable again.
A simple example is that of quitting smoking. Someone who’s trying to quit smoking might experience cognitive dissonance if they continue to smoke, despite knowing that it is harmful to their health. (Or substitute any other habit you want to make or break for more examples.)
Or in my latest case of dissonance I just stopped writing because it felt uncomfortable, and I think that was because I have a conflict over whether it is worthwhile or not in a world where the machines can do it so well.
Why is this interesting?
Becoming aware of your own moments of cognitive dissonance can have a huge impact on your ability to think clearly and make high quality decisions. If we can sit with the dissonance - instead of reacting quickly to quash the discomfort - we can get more clarity.
Sitting with the dissonance can also help us to develop greater tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. By learning to sit with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, we can develop greater resilience and EQ.
Roger Martin talks about how great leaders and innovators handle dissonance:
[They] have the predisposition and the capacity to hold in their heads two opposing ideas at once. And then, without panicking or simply settling for one alternative or the other, they’re able to creatively resolve the tension between those two ideas by generating a new one that contains elements of the others but is superior to both. This process of consideration and synthesis can be termed integrative thinking. …
“the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function” is the sign of a truly intelligent individual.
This also reminds me of staying focused on the shades of grey that make up most of our reality, instead of seeing everything in black and white binary. I’ve heard variations of this called “both/and” thinking instead of “either/or” thinking. (You can be both a cat AND a dog person!)
I’ll leave the last word to Victor Frankl who had this relevant advice about choosing a response instead of just having a reaction:
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
Want to go deeper?
🔖 This post called Neurons Gone Wild is fascinating, it’s an easy read but introduces thought provoking ideas which seem like they might be related to the experience of dissonance.
📖 Man’s Search for Meaning should be on your list if you haven’t read it.
📖 I was reminded of this gem from Skin in the Game:
I am, at the Fed level, libertarian;
at the state level, Republican;
at the local level, Democrat;
and at the family and friends level, a socialist.
If that saying doesn’t convince you of the fatuousness of left vs. right labels, nothing will.
😂 Also this wry take of unknown origin:
Communist until you get rich, feminist until you get married, atheist until the airplane starts falling
📖 I liked The Opposable Mind which introduced the idea of integrative thinking to me. (If you don’t want to read the whole book this is a great summary that introduces the idea.)