Editing Attitudes and Persuasion (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
Attitudes and persuasion are understood through '''Consistency''' and '''Routes'''.

'''1. The "Need for Harmony" (Cognitive Dissonance)''':
The brain "Hates" a contradiction.
* If you "Lie" to a friend for $1...
* ...your brain says: "I'm an honest person, but I just lied for no reason."
* To "Fix" the pain, you "Change your attitude": "Actually, it wasn't really a lie, it was mostly true!"
* Persuasion is often about "Creating Dissonance" (showing someone they are being a hypocrite) and then "Offering the Solution" to make the pain go away.

'''2. The "Two Paths" of the Mind (ELM)''':
How you talk depends on "How much your audience cares."
* If you are selling a "Car" to a "Mechanic," you use the **Central Route** (Engine specs, safety data). They are "Thinking deeply."
* If you are selling "Soda" to a "Teenager," you use the **Peripheral Route** (Cool music, beautiful models, 'Vibes'). They are "Feeling quickly."
* Most modern advertising uses the **Peripheral Route** because thinking is "Hard" and feeling is "Easy."

'''3. "Identity" over "Facts"''':
Why is it so hard to change a "Political" or "Religious" attitude?
* Because those attitudes are "Linked to Identity."
* Changing the attitude means "Losing your tribe" and "Admitting you were wrong for years."
* This is "High Dissonance." The brain will "Invent a million lies" (Rationalization) to keep the old attitude safe.

'''The 'Festinger' Experiment (1959)'''': Leon Festinger asked people to do a "Boring task" and then "Lie" to the next person, saying it was "Fun." One group was paid **$20** to lie; the other was paid **$1**. The $1 group actually "Ended up liking the task more." Why? Because $1 wasn't enough "Reason" to lie, so they "Changed their mind" to believe it was actually fun to "Avoid the Dissonance."
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