Interestingly, we also begin to feel somewhat jangly and upset, almost like we are nervous or anxious. Finally, the physiology of our bodies changes when we experience dissonance. Our heart rates elevate, blood pressure goes up, and our hands get sweaty. In sum, then, the state of dissonance is not a pleasant one. In fact, if there was a pill that gave people dissonance, no one would buy it.
Dissonance is uncomfortable, a condition to be avoided if possible.
It arises from inconsistencies. Dissonance drives us to restore consistency . Given that dissonance is an unpleasant experience, when we have it, we want to get rid of it. We have devised a number of different tactics for getting rid of dissonance. All of them essentially involve doing some mental work that permits us to change the way we think about things.