Why is Dissonance "Bad"?

  • dissonance: negatively valenced limbic response

  • why aren't "consonance" and "dissonance" reversed?

  • consider vision:
    • annoyance due to physical obstruction
    • annoyance from glare
    • annoyance from poor focus
    • fear of the dark
  • stimulus-engendered degradation of the visual system

  • parallel in audition: masking