so there's this thing in linguistics called Sapir-Whorf hypothesis where they say the built-in structure of a particular language affects one's thinking ie. ceteris paribus you wouldn't *think* in the same way if you spoke German as compared to say Croatian, because the rules/grammar/words of the two languages "force" you to shape your thinking to fit their molds more generally, i guess the modes of thinking built into a particular line of work also changes you eventually for all you longtime traders out there, do you think your personality actually changed over the years because of trading? as for me, i feel like i've gotten more "paranoid"/questioning of people's motives in the sense that i don't take people/ companies/ groups' words & outward appearances at face value, etc compared to the past - bc usually in the markets it's almost always expected for everyone to try and maximize their own interests, & often times when something weird happens, it's very common later to find out that it's actually bc of price manipulation by a group/cartel, done so with intention and preplanning
Training is ye ol' Scientific Method took me through school. School got me into trading. Trading drilled and re-drilled scientific rigor. "Science" (willful credulity; hypothesis testing; willful doubt; investigation for tools; investigation for data; patience) has certainly shaped my way of thinking, and thereby (I think) my personality. LOTS of re-enforcement. TOTALLY buy Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, BTW.
good question... my answer would be yes... for better or worse. for the better - it forces you to think independently.. which means all news media is considered a tool by the big traders to fool the public.. the only thing you can trust is the price.. you must ignore everything else.... or think in a way like - 'hm, so they are pushing this narrative on marketwatch.com, what is the motive?'... I think this partly answers your question.... and being able to see thru the smoke and mirror is certainly rewarding, financially (trading profits) and spiritually (you have the confidence to believe your own judgement)... for the worse - I think you will look at the world in a slightly darker way.. like you said everyone is out for himself... and you can become jaded and won't care about politics and the ongoing narratives, you will look at the rest of population like foolish sheep. so yeah for better or worse, you will change... however, a wider answer is - you are the sum of all your experiences, in other words not only trading changes you, everything else does also.
I had that way of thinking prior to trading - I've learned not to be paranoid about most things and everyone's (scary, scary groups/cartels/HFT/etc etc) motives and tactics.
thats a good trait, rather than saying you know everything. playing dumb scores over being overly smart. These days no one loves smart alecs. People love others who seems dumb. Only what matters is being smart with trading.
My mood and how I fell are strongly tied to my trading success that week / month. Bad days dont really bother me, but bad months make me a bit short tempered even though ive been trading for a while. Trading is one of the few areas in my life were i was moderately successful so i do have a sense of pride since it has given me the life I have. My mood changes throughout the day because of trading so im a bit more spastic and wirey than i would be.
I make decisions quicker without worrying about being right or wrong. If I am wrong, I have no problem changing that decision. Example. I go into a grocery store and immediate get into the shortest line. Upon being there, I notice that in the longer line it's going quicker because people are only buying 4 or 5 items and the people in front of me have a basket full of items. I wont say "well, I'm already in this line so I'll wait." No, I jump to the longer line that will move quicker. Just little things like that all day that will give me a little bit of an advantage in meaningless day to day stuff.
Every profession would change personality and thinking process of the individuals. Trading should not be any different. Have heard of many elliot wave, harmonics, gann type guys bringing these theories into every step of the daily lives..........that's really changing the personality or thought process.