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Jake Bernstein on Faulty Learning from Positive Reinforcement

  • The tension of riding a profit or loss may be quite intense for some investors. By liquidating too early, they are relieved of the tension, and, therefore, the mere termination of this situation will have the same result as a positive experience. They will be more likely to behave the same way in future trades.
  • Those who ride losses to unacceptably large amounts also tend to experience the positive effects of relief. Again the relief can serve to reward an otherwise inappropriate act. It’s like the man who, when asked why he kept banging his head against the wall, replied, “because it feels so good when I stop.”