The act of trying to justify actions or validate opinions not supported by any facts. A means of dealing with cognitive dissonance.
"Hey Jessica, you're really pretty today."
"Oh so you're saying that yesterday I was looking like shit. Also you're saying that because I'm a white fit woman. That makes you a pathetic misogynist and racist. Let's not mention the fact that if I didn't pander to your sexuality, I would be called unattractive and ugly. You, John, are a dumbass and a patriarchal pig, do you know how stressful it is to be a woman and having to look sexy 24 7 just so men get horny in this society? You don't, because you are such a privileged white male."
"Wow Jessica that was some serious mental gymnastics you did right there..."
"Oh so you're saying that yesterday I was looking like shit. Also you're saying that because I'm a white fit woman. That makes you a pathetic misogynist and racist. Let's not mention the fact that if I didn't pander to your sexuality, I would be called unattractive and ugly. You, John, are a dumbass and a patriarchal pig, do you know how stressful it is to be a woman and having to look sexy 24 7 just so men get horny in this society? You don't, because you are such a privileged white male."
"Wow Jessica that was some serious mental gymnastics you did right there..."
by DaHelpR January 9, 2022
A Bible researcher can do mental gymnastics to convince himself the timbers he found in a snowy Russian mountain were remains of Noah's Ark.
by robbie38903849 June 18, 2008
by Mary Mary Quite The Contrarian July 20, 2021
a miraculous mental process of weaving intricate threads of reasoning in complex, tangential, and often contradictory ways to give the mental gymnast the illusion that they has resolved the cognitive dissonance stemming from objective facts debunking their firmly held beliefs, thereby allowing the mental gymnast to continue on with life still holding onto the flawed beliefs while still acknowledging the objective facts.
Person1: God is the creator of EVERYTHING, all knowing, all good, and present in all things everywhere at all times.
Person2: So then if people are evil, then at least one of those divine attributes must be false.
Person1: No, because of the concept of freewill.
Person2: Dude, now that there is some MENTAL GYMNASTICS.
Person2: So then if people are evil, then at least one of those divine attributes must be false.
Person1: No, because of the concept of freewill.
Person2: Dude, now that there is some MENTAL GYMNASTICS.
by zerO_One March 16, 2017
When presented with factual data that President Obama is an American and not a Muslim, the Trump supporters performed all sorts of mental gymnastics to deny the truth.
by deenw September 19, 2016
The act of believing something so profoundly stupid and illogical, it requires creating a new word in the English language.
See Also: Donald Trump
See Also: Donald Trump
by Mr. Cynical the Millenial May 3, 2017
A phrase used by those who cannot handle analytical thinking and can only handle simple thinking and simple explanations. Mental gymnastics is required to figure out difficult questions and topics.
I cannot understand what you’re explaining. I’ll just accuse you of using mental gymnastics because I think that will help me win the debate.
by EvilSatanWorshipper April 28, 2019