The Ignorant Investor

Scientists working with mice have found that by removing a single gene they can turn normally cautious animals into daring ones, mice that are more willing to explore unknown territory and less intimidated by sights and sounds that they have learned can be dangerous.

The surprising discovery, being reported today in the journal Cell, opens a new window on how fear works in the brain, experts said.

New York Times, Nov. 18, 2005

So now we find out that the difference between a coward and a hero is as little as a single gene flowing through the blood and viscera of our bodies. Takes the moral aspect out of it altogether, doesn't it? The more work our scientists do with genes, the less we all seem to creatures of true rational thought. Everything is guided by biology rather than reason, and maybe we're nothing more than a collection of inbred responses tempered by experience.

In investing, we already know that some of us are less willing to take risks with money than other folk. Now we know why. It's all the blood. And you can't destroy your blood. Stab at it with a knife, all it does is bleed, right? Best you can do is be aware of your gut instincts and try to use reason to mitigate any bad effects caused by your genes.