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Which Cognitive Bias Runs Your Brain?
The shortcut your brain takes without telling you.
How this is scored
12 scenarios based on well-documented decision biases. Educational and entertaining, a real experiment would not tell you the answers.
Academic References & Background
- Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124-1131.
- Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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The 5 possible results
Every answer nudges you toward one of these. Here is what each one means.
Confirmation bias runs your brain
You gather evidence the way a lawyer does, not the way a scientist does: the conclusion arrives first and the search comes after. This is the most universal bias there is, and the most invisible, because looking for support genuinely feels like researching.
The sunk cost fallacy runs your brain
You count what you have already spent when deciding what to do next (time, money, years), and those things are gone regardless of what you choose. It shows up in degrees, jobs, films, and relationships, and it always dresses itself up as commitment.
Optimism bias runs your brain
You systematically expect things to go better for you than the base rate says. Projects take the good-week estimate, risks apply to other people, and plans assume nothing goes wrong.
Anchoring runs your brain
The first number you see sets the frame, and everything after it is judged relative to that anchor rather than to reality. Original prices, opening offers, and someone else's estimate all do this.
Availability bias runs your brain
You judge how likely something is by how easily an example comes to mind, which means vivid, recent, and heavily reported events feel far more probable than they are. This is why the news makes the world feel more dangerous than the statistics do.
About this assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Which Cognitive Bias Runs Your Brain? measure?
The shortcut your brain takes without telling you. 12 scenarios based on well-documented decision biases. Educational and entertaining, a real experiment would not tell you the answers.
How is this test scored and how long does it take?
This test contains 12 questions and takes about 2 minutes to complete. All scoring runs instantly in your browser with zero sign-up.
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Is this a clinical or medical diagnosis?
No. MindType tests are created for self-reflection, personal insight, and education. They do not constitute clinical, psychiatric, or psychological diagnosis.
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