Psychology of Self-Deception: The Lies We Tell Ourselves To Survive

Why do we sometimes convince ourselves that our choices, memories, and explanations are true—even when the evidence says otherwise? In this video, we explore the psychology of self-deception and the mental mechanisms behind it. We look at: • Leon Festinger (1954–1957) — his observations of failed prophecy and the development of Cognitive Dissonance Theory. • Festinger & James Carlsmith (1959) — their famous experiment showing how people can change their attitudes to resolve psychological tension. • Elizabeth Loftus (1970s) — research demonstrating how easily human memories can be influenced and reconstructed. • Robert Trivers (1970s; 2011) — his evolutionary theory that self-deception may help humans become more convincing when deceiving others. • Michael Gazzaniga & Roger Sperry (1960s–70s) — split-brain research that revealed how the brain can create explanations for actions it doesn't consciously understand. • Niklas Karlsson, George Loewenstein & Duane Seppi (2009) — research on information avoidance and the tendency to avoid uncomfortable information. The deeper question is: How much of what feels like a personal choice is actually shaped by processes happening in the brain before we're consciously aware of them? Disclaimer: This video is for educational and informational purposes only.