Does reading the news make you more aware of the world? Is it making you a more informed person? Do facts change our minds? Probably not. At least, not in any meaningful way. A new study published in Social, Cognitive, and Psychological Neuroscience shows that it’s not just the facts that we don’t change after consuming news. It’s also the theories behind those facts. This means that not only do you not learn anything new after reading the news, but you’re also not changing your beliefs as a result. So, if you’re worried that reading the news makes you a more informed person, relax.

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What is Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is your brain’s attempt to make sense of the world. It exists because we want to feel good about our actions, but also want to be logical. Your brain tries to make sense of the world by comparing ideas and actions. If there is a conflict, the brain tries to find a new way to make sense of things. When your beliefs or actions contradict each other, the brain tries to find a solution. Often, it tries to find a way to make both ideas and actions fit. However, when there is no logical solution, the brain will try to find a new set of ideas that make sense of both beliefs and actions. Therefore, your brain creates “false beliefs” to make sense of things. False beliefs, however, have a logical flow that the brain tries to find ways to fix.

Why is cognitive dissonance a problem?

Cognitive dissonance is a problem when we want to feel good about our actions, but also want to be logical. Your brain tries to make sense of the world by comparing ideas and actions. If there is a conflict, the brain tries to find a new way to make sense of things. When your beliefs or actions contradict each other, the brain tries to find a solution. Often, it tries to find a way to make both ideas and actions fit. However, when there is no logical solution, the brain will try to find a new set of ideas that make sense of both beliefs and actions. Therefore, your brain creates “false beliefs” to make sense of things. False beliefs, however, have a logical flow that the brain tries to find ways to fix.

Finding reliable news sources

As social animals, we are used to making sense of the world through each other. We see what others do and read into those actions. This is how we understand the world around us, and it’s why we have “gut feelings” about things. We do this so well that we are even tricked into believing the stories of others. We are so good at this that we are tricked by our narratives. When an unreliable news source says something you want to believe, you will accept it as true. This is especially true when it comes to news that is positive. You are more likely to believe the news that is positive towards you since you want to believe it.

The study

The study took advantage of cognitive dissonance to measure how consuming news affects one’s beliefs. The study manipulated people’s beliefs by exposing them to false information. After the false information, they were given a chance to form new beliefs to counter the false information. When the participants were given the chance to form new beliefs, researchers found that the ones who had consumed news previously changed their beliefs less than those who didn’t consume news.

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