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Neuroscience in Trading :Anirudh Sethi

Image result for Neuroscience in tradingTrading is an interesting field to say the least. It revolves around a great deal of decision making, and a lot of choices which will have diverse effects. What is responsible for the decisions made? Naturally, the trader’s thoughts and considerations in relation to his or her trading experience. So, to a certain extent neuroscience comes into the picture.

Neuroscience refers to the way the brain works, along with its cognitive functions. In fact neuroscientists focus their studies on the human brain, and how it has an impact on behavior and thinking functions.

Financial decisions are very important, and it goes without saying that they are affected by the individual’s financial literacy, experience as well as cognitive constraints. Decisions are also affected by one’s level of confidence, level of objectivity, and the element of risk involved. The amount of money involved is also prevalent, as the higher it is, the bigger the risks are and the more cautious one is more likely to be, as long as greed and over confidence do not cloud one’s decision. Thus, there are several factors which all have an effect on the decision that is finally made.

Therefore the neuroscience behind trading decisions is a very complex matter. Despite efforts to try to understand how the brain works and how it effects trading psychology and the subsequent decisions made by traders, one cannot say for sure how it all works out as there are so many factors and issues involved. There are however some patterns and trends that were noted after neuroscientists conducted certain studies in this regard.

For instance, there is a general belief that traders invest in a diversified portfolio in order to limit risk, and once this is done, they are less pressured to make substantial trading decisions since they have their investments spread out quite well. There are others who prefer to take bigger risks because they want to stick to certain stocks only, because they have a belief that they are going to do better off that way. Evidently in this case pride and confidence comes into play. (more…)

Toward Understanding Left-Handedness-VIDEO

Are you left-handed?  You must know someone who is southpaw.  There are all sorts of superstitions around left-handedness.  Is it a curse?  Is it dirty?  Is it a faulty wiring of the brain ?  Are lefties more creative?  More accident prone?  It seems like we know very little about it. This Cool Video from It’s Okay to Be Smart explains some of the latest thinking on why 10% of the population is left-handed and what it means about the brain’s organization.  The video runs about 5.5 minutes, but it is both entertaining and informative. 

Gut Feelings

 We’re all quantitative traders, but we still have gut feelings. The body has a self awareness of its internal conditions. The stomach has more bacteria than human cells. The stomach has more seratonin receptors than the brain. When nervous you can feel the butterflies. You get gut feelings about things that govern conscious decisions. I have a theory that dreams are the sleeping brain receiving feelings from the body and stomach during the night. Gut feelings are distinct from the amygdalian flight impulses. I’ve never heard of any studies or information about gut feelings other than anecdotes. How often has a gut feeling saved you, or how often does it lead to wrong decisions?

Dr. Janice Dorn a former list member, wrote a book, in which she and her co-author argue that your gut feeling is not programmed for market risk, but market risk will give your gut the opposite reaction than you should take. When I tried trading the stronger my gut was scared the more I knew I should trade and vice-a-versa the more passive I was about my position the more I knew I should be out. Rather than honing in on this “skill”, I would suggest a more palatable method, nerves were my undoing as a day trader. I suspect Dr. Brett S. would say something similar.