Executive Function and Money

"My husband's face tells the story: partly amused, partly frustrated, he stands in front of the newly assembled bed, and something isn't right. The twin XL mattress hangs slightly over the edge of the bedframe. "No, no, no..." I mumble. It can't be. I ordered a twin XL frame; I know I did. And to make matters worse, we took too long to assemble the bed frame, and the window for returning it closed last week."

"For many couples, this would be the opening scene to an elongated argument, but instead, my husband ribs me: "You spent your mistakes budget for this and next month!" We didn't start out this way. For years, we stretched my teacher's salary and sweated over small fees and bills. For us, like for many people, money was a source of stress, arguments, and shame. We needed time, experience, new perspectives, and better tools to develop a better relationship with money."

Executive dysfunction and personal money narratives can shape spending, saving, and decision-making, leading to mistakes and missed return windows. Financial stress often includes shame, arguments, and tight budgets, especially when income is limited. Money itself can be treated as neutral data; numerical values provide information about current circumstances. Emotional reactions attach charge to finances, but those reactions can be changed over time through experience, perspective, and targeted tools. Conversational and representational exercises—such as choosing an object to represent money and speaking with it—can surface underlying beliefs. Executive-function strategies can reduce costly struggles and improve relationships with money.

Read at Psychology Today