Mainstream metacognitive training methods (e.g., mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy) generally face challenges regarding high thresholds, heavy cognitive load, and difficulty in sustaining practice. This study proposes "Mental Pricing Metacognition" (MPM), a low-threshold intervention technique that triggers metacognitive monitoring through "Pain of Paying" by forcing subjective cognitive objects (emotions, decision options, work outputs, etc.) to be priced in terms of scarce resources (currency, virtual assets, reputation values, or percentage-based quantification). Grounded in the intersection of neuroeconomics, cognitive psychology, and decision science, this method forcibly activates System 2 cognitive processing through simulated transaction mechanisms to achieve emotional regulation and cognitive calibration. This paper elaborates on the theoretical foundations of MPM (including Dual Process Theory, Willingness to Pay theory, Feature Integration Theory, and Cognitive Defusion), the operational model (Objectification—Multi-attribute Decomposition—Scarcity-based Pricing—Calibration), and the quantifiable metric system (currency, vitality, health percentage, reputation, credibility, energy bars, social currency, etc.). Preliminary applications indicate that this method demonstrates strong accessibility and rapid effectiveness in scenarios including labor output evaluation, emotional management, habit formation, goal and motivation activation, self-cognition and personality growth, decision optimization, interpersonal relationships and communication, stress and anxiety regulation, behavior correction and self-control, and life planning and value ranking, providing a replicable metacognitive scaffolding for ordinary populations.
Yichen SHEN (2026) studied this question.