Misunderstanding Trading Emotions
By Denise Shull   
May 16, 2011

Sometimes I think if I hear one more person say you have to control your emotions, that I won't control my actions!

ONE MORE TIME - has an emotion alone EVER made or lost a dime?

... you tell me.

Now this is the problem gang - somewhere in the mid-20th century the psychologists all started talking about BEHAVIOR ... and then they added COGNITIVE or "the intellect". They ditched the subject of emotion altogether...

But alas, they were and are wrong and with every passing day, the whole view on the value of emotions, the need for emotions, the role of emotions gets not only resurrected but promoted - at least in the cutting edge labs of the brain.

So... how about traders who want an edge deciding that instead of believing the old outdated dogma and in turn DEBITING any trading edge they may have (by inadvertently blocking their perceptual apparatus), those who really want an edge deciding to create the CORRECT psychological one? It starts with knowing:

1. The only thing you need to control is your actions.

2. Feeling and analyzing your emotions - whatever they are - and getting to their roots, is the easiest way to control your actions.

No if ands or buts about it.....

Feelings and emotions are DATA - data to be understood. Your conscious and unconscious brain uses them every moment of every day. To try to override this, sets you up to fail.

One the other hand, if you pay just as much attention to the psychological or feeling context (mental state) you bring to the day, to the decision ... you have given yourself a self-created edge that /will/ add up at the end of the year!

Visit Trader Psyches to register for Denise’s blog updates.

 
Banner
This website is for educational purposes only. Offers and events from 3rd party vendors are provided for convenience only. Trader Kingdom is not responsible for the content of a 3rd party website or their services.

Futures, options, and spot currency trading have large potential risk and traders should be well-educated before putting real money at risk. You must be aware of the risks and willing to accept them in order to invest in all markets. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing ones financial security or life style. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. This website is neither a solicitation nor an offer to buy/sell a futures contract or currency.