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Old 08-14-2007, 08:33 AM
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This member is the original thread starter. Re: Right Brain vs Left Brain

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Hey James,

I recommend reading the book "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink. It is a quick and pleasant read that will answer many of your questions, I think. In the book, Pink discusses three forces - Abundance, Asia, and Automation - which should cause people in many professions to re-evaluate their ability to remain competitive as we transition from the "Information Age" to the "Conceptual Age." Pink suggests integrating the left and right hemispheres of the brain and developing six right-brained (R-directed) abilities or senses which he calls Design, Symphony, Story, Empathy, Joy and Meaning. The author also suggests activities to help develop the right brain. I believe that this book should be required reading for all traders, including discretionary and rules-based traders. There is an excellent thread which you started that touches on this topic and where I added my thoughts (http://www.traderslaboratory.com/for...html#post12627).

To address your question... A mechanical trading system which can be described in a finite set of steps and programmed into a computer utilizes mostly the left brain. In this case, the trader is processing data in a sequential and analytical fashion. A trader who considers market correlation, multiple timeframes, combines economic factors with technical analysis, understands how longs/shorts should be feeling in a market, analyzes the type of trader that is in control of a market, considers where stops are resting, or adjusts his/her trading strategy based on market condition are all examples of right-brained abilities. This requires interpreting and synthesizing different pieces of information, i.e. requires the trader to truly understand market behavior - something computers cannot do better than a human being with the proper skills. James, I would send you my copy, but shipping would cost more than the book itself.
Hi Ant,

Thank you for your recommendation. I did a quick search on amazon and found a different interesting books also written by Daniel Pink called, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Are you familiar with this? Im debating which one to read at the moment. Thanks

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