The Dopamine Trance

If you trade during periods of high volatility, such as around the open, or even in the first 30-60 min, you will be exposing your brain to a highly stimulating environment. Dopamine neurons, which are designed to motivate us to pursue prey (dinner), go absolutely crazy. One part of the brain really feels that neurological fusillade: the right hemisphere. The right hemisphere has a regular day job, but in trading it’s best to think of it as a dog. Dogs chase moving objects. That’s just what they do. After X number of minutes, your entire brain will be saturated with dopamine. Dopamine is like a narcotic for the Left Brain… that’s the ‘dope’ part… which puts our rational and inhibitory functions to sleep. In that hazy moment, when the Left Brain dozes off… all that’s left is the dog.