Even U.S. Olympians competing in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games in Italy feel ambivalent about representing the stars and stripes. The cognitive dissonance of rooting for U.S. sports while hating the U.S. government is so common that “it continues to be one of the main topics I hold space for in therapy,” said Los Angeles-based licensed clinical social worker Aimee Monterrosa. “Cognitive dissonance isn’t just ‘having mixed feelings,’” said Tanisha Ranger, a Nevada-based clinical psychologist. That’s why some people might not experience cognitive dissonance at all because what the U.S. government is doing to its citizens is not new for them. Learning to move through cognitive dissonance means naming these emotions and letting complexity exist, Ranger said.

Source: Huffington Post February 22, 2026 02:01 UTC