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Behavioral psychology · Personal finance

The science of why you do what you do with money

Calm, sourced explanations of how people think, from Kahneman to Housel. Every video has a full article. Every idea has a way to test it on yourself.

Start with a quiz
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Think Deeper. Live Better.

Draws on research by

Kahneman

Ariely

Cialdini

Housel

Mullainathan & Shafir

Test how you think

Short self-insight quizzes built on named research. Take the 10-question version for a quick read, or the 30-question one for a fuller profile.

Loss aversionLoss Aversion TestDo losses sting more than equal wins please you? Find out how, and where.This quiz measures how loss aversion shows up for you, not just whether it does. Prospect theory says losses hurt roughly twice as much as equivalent gains feel good — but that pain reaches you through different doors: how an option is worded, how certain it feels, or whether you already own it.10 questions · 4 minSystem 1 and 2Reasoning Habits CheckPuzzles that reward a second look. How often do you check your first answer?This quiz checks how often you stop and test your first answer on short reasoning puzzles covering numbers, logic, chance, careful reading and estimating. It is not an IQ test and does not measure intelligence. It describes a habit, which can be changed.10 questions · 4 minSystem 1 and 2System 1 vs System 2 ThinkerDo you trust your gut or check your work? See which mode runs your decisions.This quiz explores how much your thinking runs on fast, automatic judgment versus slow, deliberate effort, and through which door the fast mode takes over: snap judgments, ease, easier-question swaps, confidence in stories, or avoiding effort. System 1 and System 2 are a useful picture, not literal parts of the brain, and nobody thinks in one mode.10 questions · 4 minQuizPredictable Irrationality ProfileFive predictable ways our choices drift from logic. Which ones are yours?This quiz looks at five well-studied ways that choices drift from pure logic in predictable directions: relativity, the pull of free, mixing social and market rules, expectation and hot-state choices. Predictably irrational is not a flaw. It describes patterns that nearly everyone shows, and that can be anticipated and designed around.10 questions · 4 minPersonal historyMoney Script OriginWhere does your relationship with money come from?This quiz looks at the unwritten beliefs about money you likely absorbed early in life, using the four money scripts from Klontz and colleagues (avoidance, worship, status, vigilance) plus a fifth, obligation, added by Mentotex. It asks where your own relationship with money may have come from. Family histories with money can be painful, so please go gently.10 questions · 4 minSunk costSunk Cost TrapWould you walk away from what you've already paid for?This quiz measures how strongly money, time and effort you have already spent steer your next decision, and through which door: what you paid, what you put in, how deep you are in, the urge to finish, or the wish to stay consistent. The sunk cost fallacy is one of the best documented patterns in decision research.10 questions · 4 min

See all quizzes →

Run the experiment · 20 seconds

A coin flip you could lose $100 on

Tails, you lose $100. Heads, you win more. Drag until you would actually accept the bet.

$150

One question is not a diagnosis. The full quiz measures this across four scenarios. This is a tool for psychological self-insight, not financial advice.

Take the loss aversion quiz

Run the experiment · 20 seconds

Can a random number steer your guess?

Answer a quick yes or no, then make your own estimate. See what happened.

Is the Eiffel Tower taller or shorter than 800 metres?

One guess proves nothing. In studies, groups shown a high number guess higher on average than groups shown a low one. This is a tool for psychological self-insight, not financial advice.

Take the anchoring quiz

Run the experiment · 20 seconds

Would you go to a concert you already paid for?

The same storm, the same night, two different histories. Answer both honestly.

You paid $40 for the ticket, and it is non-refundable. Do you go?
A friend gave you the ticket for free. Do you go?

Imagine it is the night of the concert, a storm is raging, and you would rather stay in. This is a tool for psychological self-insight, not financial advice.

Take the sunk cost quiz

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Explore by concept

All concepts

The ideas behind how people think about money, each with the articles, quizzes and research that explain it.

The thinkers

All thinkers

The researchers and writers whose work we explain, with links to their original studies.

Book breakdowns

The big ideas, in ten minutes

Careful summaries of books like Thinking, Fast and Slow and The Psychology of Money: the core ideas, the evidence, and where it has been questioned.

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On YouTube

Every video has a full article

Calm, sourced explanations of how people think and decide, with the research linked in the description and on this site.

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About MentoTex

Sources first, opinions second

We explain behavioral psychology and personal finance in plain language, name the studies, and flag where the evidence is debated. Everything here is education, not financial advice.

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