Curriculum

What We Offer

A self-paced online course structured around the psychology of spending decisions, with reflection exercises woven into each lesson.

Course Design

How the Curriculum Is Organized

The course is divided into six modules. Each module addresses a distinct aspect of spending psychology, from the neurological basis of reward anticipation to the social dynamics of conspicuous consumption. Modules build on each other but can also be revisited independently once you've completed the course.

Module 1

The Reward Anticipation Loop

This module explores what happens neurologically in the period between deciding to buy something and actually buying it. Anticipation often produces more dopamine than the purchase itself, which is why the feeling before buying is frequently more intense than the feeling after. Understanding this asymmetry is foundational to the rest of the course.

Reflection Exercise Included
Module 2

Identity and the Purchase Decision

Many purchases are less about the object itself and more about what owning it says about who we are or who we want to be. This module examines how identity aspirations influence spending choices, often in ways that operate beneath conscious awareness. The reflection exercise in this module asks you to map recent purchases against your self-concept.

Reflection Exercise Included
Module 3

Emotional States as Purchase Triggers

Boredom, stress, loneliness, and excitement each create distinct spending signatures. This module covers how emotional states alter the perceived value of purchases and compress the time horizon used to evaluate them. When you're bored, a purchase that would seem unnecessary tomorrow feels essential today. The module explains why, with specificity.

Reflection Exercise Included
Module 4

Cognitive Biases in Everyday Spending

Loss aversion, anchoring, the sunk cost fallacy, and present bias each show up in everyday purchasing in predictable ways. This module walks through each bias with concrete examples from ordinary spending contexts, not abstract economic theory. You'll start recognizing these patterns in real time by the end of the lesson.

Reflection Exercise Included
Module 5

Social Comparison and Spending

Spending decisions don't happen in isolation. They happen in a social context where we are continuously, often unconsciously, comparing our consumption to the people around us. This module examines how social comparison drives spending patterns, why it intensifies in certain environments, and how awareness of the mechanism changes its influence.

Reflection Exercise Included
Module 6

The Anatomy of Post-Purchase Regret

Regret after a purchase is itself a psychological event with a specific internal structure. This final module examines what regret actually is, how it differs from disappointment or self-criticism, and what it can tell you about the decision-making process that preceded it. The reflection exercise here is the most comprehensive one in the course, drawing on all previous modules.

Reflection Exercise Included
The Exercises

What the Reflection Exercises Actually Are

Each exercise is a written prompt, not a quiz or test. There are no correct answers. The prompts are designed to draw out specific observations about your own spending experiences in relation to the lesson just completed.

The exercises take between eight and fifteen minutes. They work best when completed immediately after the lesson, while the concepts are fresh. Over several lessons, your responses begin to reveal patterns that are specific to you rather than general to everyone.

You keep your responses. They're written for your own understanding, not submitted or evaluated.

Close-up of a hand writing in a notebook during a reflection exercise, pen on paper, warm desk lighting
Format and Access

How the Course Is Delivered

Self-Paced

No fixed schedule. Each module is available immediately. You move through the course at whatever pace suits your life.

Any Device

The course is designed to work on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Lessons are text-based with supporting visuals for clarity.

Revisit Anytime

Once enrolled, you have continuing access to all course materials. Many participants revisit specific modules several weeks after first completing them.

Delivered in English

All course content, including the reflection exercises, is written in clear, accessible English without technical jargon.

Questions?

Want to Know More Before Starting?

If you have questions about the course content, format, or anything else, the contact page is the right place. We aim to respond to all inquiries within one business day.

Contact Us