The "World-Will-End-on-June-7" group got together on June 7 to pray as the world ended. The next day, the world had not ended. The leader of the group said, "Our prayers saved the world." What process was responsible for the attitude change?

Question

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The leader's statement suggests that they experienced cognitive dissonance - the discomfort caused by holding contradictory beliefs or actions. They had believed that the world would end on June 7, but when it didn't, that belief was contradicted by reality. To reduce this discomfort, they changed their belief to say that their prayers had saved the world, thus resolving the dissonance. This is an example of cognitive dissonance theory.

The "World-Will-End-On-June-7" Group Got Together on June 7 to Pray