Abstract: The spreading-of-alternatives effect is the consequence that attitude change followed dissonance. When people have to make a choice between two alternatives, they often evaluate the chosen alternative substantially more positively than the rejected alternative after they have made their decision. Many models of dissonance proposed their own explanations of the spreading-of-alternatives effect, such as self-related models and action-based model. Currently, researches on this topic focusing on brain mechanism have supported the action-based model as indexed by left frontal cortical activation. However, on the other hand, some studies on cultural differences have provided evidences for self-related models. This article reviewed the main researches on the following aspects, including research paradigms， psychological and physiological mechanism and cultural effect. It is hoped that it will improve researches on dissonance theory and assist in connecting the large body of dissonance theory. Moreover, attention should be paid to the relation between dissonance reduction and mental healthy in the future

Key words: spreading alternatives effect, dissonance, attitude change, left frontal cortical, culture