Chatterbox #346 – The psychology of spending money

Chatterbox #346 – The psychology of spending money

May 7, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

Andrew and Anna discuss the psychology behind spending money and the perceptions associated with different payment methods.

Why does paying with cash feel different from tapping your phone? In this Chatterbox episode, Andrew and Anna talk about the psychology of spending money. They share what they happily pay extra for, what they refuse to spend on, and the small tricks companies use to get more money out of our wallets. Along the way, they look at why we sometimes feel like we got a great deal even when we just spent five times what we intended. Listening to many natural responses is one of the best ways to build your everyday listening skills in English. The Best Way to Learn with This Episode: Culips members get an interactive transcript, helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here : Members can access the ad-free version here: Click here . Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join. References: Dan Ariely TED Talk, Are we in control of our own decisions? — Watch here : American Psychological Association, The psychology of spending* — Read here : 🔑 Key expressions Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andrew, Anna

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Culips English Podcast, American Psychological Association

Books & works: Dan Ariely TED Talk

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