Market Mind Games

A Radical Psychology of Investing, Trading and Risk

By: Denise Shull

Narrated by: Donna Postel

Seize the advantage in every risk decision with the most misunderstood asset you have - human emotion.

What if the mystery of market crashes stems from a simple but total misunderstanding of our own minds? Could everything we think we know about ourselves - intelligence and rationality versus emotion and irrationality - be wildly off the mark? Simply put: yes.

With these words, Denise Shull introduces her radical - and supremely rational - approach to risk. Her vision stems from the indisputable fact that human beings can't make any decision at all without emotion and that emotion gets the first - and last - word when it comes to our perceptions and judgments.

Shull should know. She started out managing major accounts for IBM and then chose to research unconscious emotional patterns instead of getting her MBA. Next she became a trader and trading desk manager while continuing to study biopsychology.

We are all taught that sidelining our emotions is the best way to make good decisions - Shull declares the converse: Emotions inform us. Attempting to control them actually increases the risks we take. Shull advocates treating feelings as data, and she convincingly argues that doing so eradicates the baffling question that repeats itself in our heads after making a poor investing decision: “What was I thinking?”

Through a series of “lectures”, Shull logically but engagingly connects emotions, beliefs, and context to our innate reaction to uncertainty and risk (yes, the two are different). In Market Mind Games, she merges more than 20 years of studying risk decisions into a single astoundingly effective strategy.

A reasonable approach to emotion is the best and only way to win the investing game. The methods Shull details in Market Mind Games shake the foundation of conventional market and decision psychology. And, most important, they work.

©2012 Denise K. Shull (P)2012 McGraw Hill-Ascent Audio

Stunnungly introspective

I believe one of the allures for many in the markets is to nderstand oneself
This book delves deep into the context of undserstanding oneself through the lens of the market. A must read!!

Light bulbs going off in my head

This was not what I expected but it was what I needed to hear. The interesting bit really starts in part 3 (2/3 of the book in). This book really boils down to a single idea but this is hands down the most important reason for underperformance in everything, not just trading. Prior to this book, I had already realized just how pervasive conditioning was to many aspects of my life - the life decisions I make, the relationships I have or don't have, money etc. So I really appreciate the author for making me realize that it's als the key factor in trading. I also appreciate the recommended solution which is so simple and so revealing. Thank you for writing this book!

Great

Helped me understand the psychology of the market and the psychology of myself 100% recommend

Don’t Resist to Win

Fabulous work on emotions and feelings for traders. Too often we resist our feelings with intellect, allowing the fear of them to linger. This resistance leads to poor choices, altered risk analysis our fears get the best of us. Great suggestions for overcoming and letting go.

the story

got lost in the beginning but came into focus in later chapters. overall good listen and will definitely need to give another read