New research suggests link between genetics, Wall Street success - ContraCostaTimes.com

New research suggests link between genetics, Wall Street success - ContraCostaTimes.com:

Not too much, not too little, but somewhere in the middle.

"Zak and two graduate students published their research in the January issue of PLoS One, an online science journal. The researchers conducted their study by comparing the genetic codes of working Wall Street traders to a control group of business students.

The researchers found evidence that genes affecting the way the brain processes dopamine, a chemical linked to risk-taking behavior, may be associated with success on Wall Street.

Traders who had successful careers, as measured by length of employment, tended to have genetic backgrounds linked to moderate levels of dopamine.

In other words, a good trader is likely to have a genetic code that influences a person's behavior toward competitiveness, but not the kind of thrill-seeking behavior in which risk taking becomes an addiction."

And people thought I was far-fetched last year when I asked how long before Wall Street Money Managers had to undergo a brain scan and blood work prior to being allowed to manage money.