Does Attitude Change Behaviour – Or Is it the Other Way Around?

Let’s start with a story.

Imagine you’ve decided to start going to the gym. You buy new sneakers, download a fitness app, and set your alarm for 6 a.m. Monday rolls around. That alarm screams in your ear, and your first thought isn’t “I love working out!”

It’s more like, “Why am I doing this to myself?”

But you drag yourself out of bed. You go. And the next day, you do it again. Fast-forward two weeks: you’re not only still going, you want to go.

What changed?

It wasn’t your attitude that kicked off the new habit. It was your behaviour. You acted first. And your attitude followed.

So, does attitude change behaviour?

Sure—sometimes. But more often, it’s behaviour that changes attitude. And if we want to make real change in our lives, businesses, or even society, it might be smarter to start with what people do, not how they feel.

Let’s explore this messy, fascinating relationship between doing and believing by looking at psychology, marketing, behavioural economics, and a few real-world examples.

The Old Assumption: Attitude Drives Action

For decades, the dominant idea in psychology and marketing has been: Change someone’s attitude, and their behaviour will follow.

It is the logic behind public service announcements (“Don’t drink and drive”), anti-smoking ads with blackened lungs, or motivational posters plastered across office walls.

The theory is that if you shift how someone thinks or feels about something, they’ll start acting differently.

Sometimes, this works. But more often, the results are underwhelming. People say they care about the environment but still buy bottled water. They say they value health but grab the doughnut anyway.

Why?

Because attitude isn’t always the boss of behaviour, research shows that our actions frequently lead the way—and our minds catch up later.

Behaviour Drives Attitude: The Psychology

Cognitive dissonance, first introduced by psychologist Leon Festinger in the 1950s, offers a clue. It refers to the discomfort felt when one's behaviour conflicts with one's beliefs.

And so, we often change our beliefs to match our behaviour to reduce that discomfort.

For example, let’s say you’ve taken a job in sales, but you’ve always seen salespeople as pushy and manipulative.

At first, you feel uncomfortable. But after a few months, you start thinking, “Actually, I’m helping people make better choices.”

Why?

Because your behaviour (doing sales) was out of sync with your attitude (sales is sleazy) and your brain resolved the tension by shifting your beliefs.

It isn’t deception. It’s adaptation. And it’s powerful.

In fact, countless experiments have shown that when people are made to act in certain ways, smile, stand tall, cooperate, give money to a cause, they often adopt beliefs that align with those actions.

Not the other way around.

Tweak the Context, Change the Behaviour

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK and author of “Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense,” is a master of pointing out how small tweaks in environment and framing can dramatically shift behaviour without first changing anyone’s mindset.

In his many YouTube talks and TEDx presentations, Sutherland argues that context and perception shape action more effectively than logic or attitude change.

For example, in one talk, he points out that people often complain about long train journeys.

The intuitive (and expensive) solution? Make the trains faster.

But the behavioural solution? Add Wi-Fi, better seating, or even coffee service; the journey suddenly feels shorter and more enjoyable.

You didn’t change people’s beliefs about train journeys, but you did change their experience, and their attitude followed.

Sutherland succinctly says, “The problem with logic is it kills magic. And humans respond far better to magic than logic.”

Behaviour First: Real-World Examples

Let’s look at a few areas where behaviour change has led to attitude change.

1. Workplace Culture

You can’t create a collaborative culture by telling people to believe in teamwork. But what if you change seating arrangements to mix departments? Or develop projects that require inter-team collaboration?

Over time, employees start identifying more with colleagues outside their team. Their attitudes about collaboration shift, not because you convinced them, but because they experience it through action.

2. Health and Fitness

Many people who start running or eating healthier don’t do it because they “feel motivated.” They start because they have to; a health scare, a challenge with friends, a New Year’s resolution.

But they begin to enjoy it once they’ve logged a few runs or cooked a few meals. They call themselves “runners” or “healthy eaters.” Their identity shifts through repetition.

Attitude follows behaviour.

3. Environmental Responsibility

Rather than convincing people to “care more” about the environment, what if you just gave them smaller trash bins and made recycling more convenient?

Studies have shown that people who start recycling, even reluctantly, tend to become more environmentally conscious after the habit is established.

The act precedes the belief.

4. The Military and Group Belonging

Military boot camp is a crash course in behaviour-first transformation.

Recruits act like soldiers long before they feel like soldiers. Marching, uniforms, rituals, all of them shape identity by demanding certain behaviours.

Attitudes shift only later, as pride, loyalty, and discipline take root.

What Behaviours Should You Focus On?

So, if you want to change your life or influence others, what behaviours are most likely to shape new attitudes?

Here are some high-impact ones:

1. Small, Repeated Actions

Consistency beats intensity. Doing one push-up a day is better than doing none at all. A five-minute journal entry builds more identity than a single big goal-setting session. Behaviour change sticks when it becomes habitual, not heroic.

2. Role-Playing (Even If It Feels Fake)

“Fake it till you make it” isn’t a lie—it’s a behavioural hack.

Acting confident, even when you’re nervous, triggers psychological reinforcement. Eventually, your internal self-concept aligns with your external behaviour.

3. Environment Tweaks

Set your surroundings up to nudge certain behaviours.

Want to read more? Put a book by your bed. Want to eat healthier? Put fruit on the counter. Design your environment for action and attitudes will evolve accordingly.

4. Social Identity Cues

Surround yourself with people who act the way you want to act.

We subconsciously mimic and absorb behaviours and beliefs from those around us. Want to think like a creator, leader, or entrepreneur? Spend time behaving like one in a community that reinforces it.

5. Language Use

The words you use about yourself matter.

Saying “I’m trying to quit smoking” versus “I’m not a smoker” creates different behaviours. The latter implies a behavioural identity, not just a temporary struggle.

Change your language, change your actions, and the attitude will follow.

When Attitude Does Matter?

Of course, all of this isn’t to say attitude is irrelevant.

In some cases, it’s the spark that ignites behavioural change. Believing that change is possible can be a crucial precursor.

Feeling angry about injustice can inspire protest, and believing you’re worthy of love can drive you to leave a toxic relationship.

But here’s the catch: even in those cases, action sustains the shift. If attitude is the ignition, behaviour is the engine.

That’s why motivation alone often fails.

It’s why New Year’s resolutions crumble by February. Motivation is fleeting. Behaviour, however, can be automated. And once it is, it begins to rewire your attitude, identity, and worldview.

The Practical Takeaway

Want to change your attitude about money? Start tracking your spending.

Want to become more optimistic? Practice daily gratitude journaling.

Want to stop fearing failure? Do something that scares you daily.

The point is: Do the thing. The feeling will follow.

If you’re a leader, stop convincing your team to believe first. Design the environment, structure the incentives, and model the behaviours. Create the conditions for action and beliefs will catch up.

If you’re trying to change yourself, don’t wait until you feel ready. You’ll be waiting forever. Act first. Think second. The most profound mindset changes are built on a scaffold of motion.

Conclusion

The myth that attitude must come before behaviour is comforting. It lets us wait until we feel ready, wait until we understand, wait until we’re inspired.

But that’s not how transformation works.

In reality, our actions, especially the small, repeatable, uncomfortable ones, carve the groove in our minds. In the end, we are the sum of our rituals more than our resolutions.

So if you want to change your thoughts or feelings about something, try doing something different first.

Until next time, start weird, start small, but start doing. Your attitude will thank you later.

Dion Le Roux

References

1. Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.

2. Fogg, B.J. (2019). Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

3. Sutherland, R. (2019). Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life. William Morrow.

4. Sutherland, R. (various). “TEDx Talks and Ogilvy presentations.” YouTube.

5. Wood, W. (2019). Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.