The Genetics of Wall Street

Two researchers looked at the DNA of Wall Street traders:

So what did the scientists find? It turned out that successful traders—Drs. Zak and Sapra measured success in terms of longevity on Wall Street—tended to hit a sweet spot of dopamine activity; their genes kept them from experiencing either very high or very low levels of the molecule. These prosperous professionals were much more likely to have so-called Goldilocks genes, placing them solidly in the middle of the dopamine distribution.

“The best traders are willing to take risks,” Dr. Zak says. “They definitely want to make lots of money. But they’re also able to take a long-term perspective and check their impulses. Being able to balance these competing interests seems to require a balanced dopamine system.”

Dr. Zak notes that it’s far too soon to use his genetic assay as a hiring tool—the results still need to be replicated. Still, it’s possible to imagine a future in which the financial sector requires less oversight because firms have found a way to hire more prudent employees.

Given the massive amounts of money at stake, spending a few hundred dollars on a DNA kit might strike Wall Street as a particularly wise investment.

Posted by on February 6th, 2012 at 12:07 pm


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