Wall Street traders: how trading affects your hormones…and vice versa.

Paying attention to your hormones pays off. Literally. If you’re a trader on Wall Street, you know how stressful it can be. But did you know that the stress caused by the market’s ups and downs can affect your hormones? And your hormones can affect your health…and your wins and losses. Research shows that when your trades are profitable, your body releases testosterone. Testosterone can make you feel euphoric and dominant—like you can conquer the world. But when the market is volatile, your body releases cortisol, a stress hormone. (Pressure from upper management also contributes to cortisol production; that’s probably no surprise to anyone with a boss.) This data comes from a research collaboration between a Wall Street trader and a neuroscientist who studied hormone levels among traders in London. What happens when your cortisol is up? Your energy gets depleted Blood glucose (sugar) rises Your body shuts down non-essential processes such as digestion You can suffer stress-induced hypertension You may get ulcers Testosterone levels drop in men Women experience irregular menstrual cycles You have an increased likelihood of infectious diseases Cortisol is meant to be a short-term aid to survival. But when you work in a stressful career like trading, cortisol can build up in your body over the years, causing real health problems. What’s more, cortisol can cause you to be more risk aversive—so trades tend to be safer, which tends to exagge...
Source: Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog - Category: Physicians With Health Advice Authors: Source Type: blogs