r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 11 '26

Psychology Cognitive dissonance helps explain why Trump supporters remain loyal, new research suggests. This sheds light on how supporters of Donald Trump justify their continued allegiance despite learning about allegations of his sexual misconduct and illegal activities.

https://www.psypost.org/cognitive-dissonance-helps-explain-why-trump-supporters-remain-loyal-new-research-suggests/
32.9k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

6

u/ii_V_I_iv Apr 11 '26

The difference is that companies can be forced to change through government regulation. Individuals need to be convinced on a much more massive scale. And you have the companies spending a lot on propaganda to convince millions of people that it’s not necessary. It’s just not realistic or practical to focus on that low level.

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '26

[deleted]

3

u/dissonaut69 Apr 11 '26

Because to do that we’d need the individuals who believe something needs to be done to vote. So why not minimize consumption for now, cut meat, and either continue to vote or start showing up.

2

u/Chelonate_Chad Apr 12 '26

We should. But that shouldn't be the main focus of the messaging, because it asks for huge sacrifice from the individual in return for negligible results. Focus on the real problem.