About the Which Cognitive Bias Runs Your Brain? quiz
Cognitive biases are the little mental shortcuts our brains take — useful, but sometimes they trip us up. This quiz figures out which bias has the strongest grip on your thinking. It's for fun and reflection (we all have all of them a bit!). Answer honestly.
This quiz is made up of 10 short questions and takes roughly two minutes to complete. There are no right or wrong answers — the point is honest self-reflection. Everything is calculated instantly in your browser: we don’t ask for an email address, we don’t create an account for you, and none of your answers are sent to a server or stored anywhere.
What this quiz looks at
Your responses are used to gauge Confirmation Bias, Sunk Cost Fallacy, Anchoring, Optimism Bias and Dunning–Kruger. Each question asks how strongly a statement applies to you, and the pattern across your answers points to the result that fits you best. Because it’s a short, general-audience quiz, treat it as a starting point for reflection rather than a definitive verdict.
The possible results explained
Here’s what each outcome of this quiz means, so you know what to expect — and so the results are useful even before you take it:
🔍 Confirmation Bias
Your brain loves evidence that proves you right — and quietly ignores the rest. Confirmation bias is the tendency to notice, favour, and remember information that confirms what we already believe. It's why echo chambers feel so comfy. The antidote: actively go looking for the strongest argument against your view. If you can't argue the other side, you don't fully understand your own.
🕳️ Sunk Cost Fallacy
You hate to quit — even when quitting is clearly the smart move. The sunk cost fallacy is throwing good time, money, or effort after bad because you've 'already come this far'. But past investment is gone either way — the only rational question is what's best from here. The antidote: ask 'if I were starting fresh today, would I still choose this?'
⚓ Anchoring
The first number you see quietly hijacks all your judgement afterwards. Anchoring is our habit of leaning too hard on the first piece of information (the 'anchor'). It's why '$40, now $25!' feels like a steal. The antidote: before you look at any figure, decide what something is actually worth to you — then compare.
🌈 Optimism Bias
You back yourself — sometimes more than the odds quite justify. Optimism bias is expecting things to go better for us than the base rates suggest — the root of the 'planning fallacy' where everything takes twice as long. It's not all bad (optimists take healthy risks!), but the antidote is to plan for the realistic case and pad your estimates.
🏔️ Dunning–Kruger
Early confidence is your thing — the 'peak of Mount Stupid' calls to you. The Dunning–Kruger effect describes how, when we know a little about something, we can wildly overestimate how much we know — because we don't yet know what we don't know. The good news: the fact you recognise this means you're already climbing out. The antidote: stay curious and assume every topic is deeper than it looks.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really only have one bias?
Not at all — everyone has all of these to some degree. This quiz just surfaces the one that showed up strongest in your answers. Consider your top two for the fuller picture.
Are cognitive biases a bad thing?
They're mental shortcuts that usually help us decide fast. They only cause trouble when they quietly distort important decisions. Awareness is most of the fix.
Is this based on real psychology?
The biases themselves are well-established in cognitive psychology and behavioural economics. The quiz itself is a light, self-report reflection — not a formal measure.
Do you store my answers?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and no email is required.