My experience has been that there is a high percentage of manic depressive adrenaline junkies in the trading community. Is this a function of trading that people become this way, or are these types of people just naturally attracted to trading?
Maybe you think that because trading makes people look like that when they are trading.......or gambling for that matter. All happy when things are going their way and just plain miserable when they aren't. I think this profession can attract addictive personalities....but only until their money runs out. That is the self limiting part.
My guess is that any long-term successful traders probably are pretty mellow and take the wins and losses and all the other things that come with trading on a pretty even keel. I'd be shocked to see a 15 or 20 year veteran trader who could be described as a manic depressive adrenaline junkie. It's probaly the young or inexperienced who are like this and they either morph their personality or don't make it in the business. What's that saying? "There's old traders and there's bold traders, but there's no old, bold traders". Applies to helicopter pilots too I think.