FUNCTIONING PSYCHOPATHS

I wish I could get the hang of putting the link thingy in the text, meanwhile I shall use the "copy and paste" thingy. It's not the whole article, if you want that it's in yesterday's Times.

In the Times yesterday, an article popped up regarding the brains of those exalted movers of money in the the markets. It disturbs me because these folk have a huge influence on world economy and the rest of us mere mortals.

The theory regarding the risk taking by the emotionally impaired and the types of decisions seems a bit close to the type of decisions and risks involved in politics to me.

Eurika! We are controlled by the mentally ill.

Tony and George, report for your brainscan forthwith, oh, and bring Gordon Brown with you just in case.

Here is a part of the article:


Wanted: psychopaths to play the stock marketBy Martin Waller
CITY brokers have never enjoyed the best of reputations. The popular image is of a brash and boastful twentysomething with more money than sense or sensitivity.
But now a study by a group of eminent American academics suggests that star performers on the stock market may be even worse and could best be described as “functioning psychopaths”.
In a study of investors’ behaviour, the team from three US universities suggest that people with brain damage can make better financial decisions than the rest of us.
Market traders may feel slighted, but this study comes from the growing field of neuroeconomics, which investigates the mental processes that drive financial decision-making.
The experts found that emotions can make investors play it too safe. They claim the emotionally impaired are more willing to gamble for high stakes.
The US team found that people with certain brain injuries which suppress their emotions could make the best stock market traders.

I suppose I could take comfort in the fact that my lack of money, is due to my emotional stability? I'll bear that in mind, when the next bill comes in.

Kats