Smoking cigarettes, vibrational level, and trading performance | Forex Factory

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Smoking cigarettes, vibrational level, and trading performance

  • #1
  • First Post: Oct 9, 2014 12:20pm Oct 9, 2014 12:20pm
I am not sure if cigarettes and trading have some kind of relationship, but here is my view on it.

In my trading "career", i've noticed two different periods:

in some periods making more profits than losses is somehow a struggle, in these my balance chart is a series of up and down, going mostly nowhere.
Overall, loosing money on the long term.

in some periods, profitable trades comes naturally, profits do accumulate over time, overall making good money in the long term.

I used to try to find a reason as of why these two kind of situations arises, after all the market is always the same, and the system used too.
And i'm not talking about trending/ranging times, both times covers both ranging and trending markets, so this is not an issue.

What i've found out instead, for how much paradoxically and non-sense it may sound, is that during the difficult periods i used to be a heavy smoker, while during easy times i used to be a non smoker (quitted for 1 year), in this current year i'm an heavy smoker again, and things are difficult again.

So, my conclusion is that smoking may have some strong correlation with trading results, at least in my experience.

Anyone have noticed a similar smoking-related effect on your trading performance?

I've read that various researches pointed out the fact that smoking do lower the oxygen level on the brain, lowering the IQ of the people.
Well.. it may not be as bullshit as it sound!

P.s.
I will stop smoking again from next week in the name of science, and see what happen.
  • #2
  • Oct 9, 2014 1:04pm Oct 9, 2014 1:04pm
Thatīs interesting
  • #3
  • Oct 9, 2014 1:49pm Oct 9, 2014 1:49pm
I was always a non-smoker.
Even so, sometimes I feel that I trade better, sometimes feel I trade worse.
I met some smart smokers, but I think it is stupid to smoke. Everyone spends their money where they want, I rather lose mine trading forex.
Some smokers call me stupid for that.
there is always, always another trade!!
  • #4
  • Oct 9, 2014 4:30pm Oct 9, 2014 4:30pm
Quoting notimportant
I am not sure if cigarettes and trading have some kind of relationship, but here is my view on it. In my trading "career", i've noticed two different periods: in some periods making more profits than losses is somehow a struggle, in these my balance chart is a series of up and down, going mostly nowhere. Overall, loosing money on the long term. in some periods, profitable trades comes naturally, profits do accumulate over time, overall making good money in the long term. I used to try to find a reason as of why these...
I see some relationship between farting and trading ... also

I have noticed ... when I fart ... Iīm a better trader.
I run away of the computer ... you know ... the smell ... and I let the positions run.

Inserted Video
  • #5
  • Oct 9, 2014 5:16pm Oct 9, 2014 5:16pm
you cant quit smoking next week. no way
quitting something starts yesterday
GL

PS : smoking makes you accept losers & keep trading same wrong way. infact its not smoking habit its your need to addict sometihng. in this case its smoking.
Quoting notimportant
I am not sure if cigarettes and trading have some kind of relationship, but here is my view on it. In my trading "career", i've noticed two different periods: in some periods making more profits than losses is somehow a struggle, in these my balance chart is a series of up and down, going mostly nowhere. Overall, loosing money on the long term. in some periods, profitable trades comes naturally, profits do accumulate over time, overall making good money in the long term. I used to try to find a reason as of why these two kind of situations arises,...
My Best Trade is Next Trade!
  • #6
  • Oct 9, 2014 5:55pm Oct 9, 2014 5:55pm
At A$27 a packet in Australia its financially becoming a habit for the elite.

So if you are smoking more when losing then you've just leveraged your losses
  • #7
  • Oct 10, 2014 12:07am Oct 10, 2014 12:07am
Lol ... What came first shap? The chicken or the egg?

I used to be a heavy smoker, then I quit for 3 months now I'm a heavy smoker again... Throughout this whole time I won trades and lost trades profiting an average 3 times more than ammounts lost at a win rate that varied between 60 and 30% excluding the occasional break even. Do I say this to brag? No I say this to tell you that your smoking has no influence on whether or not a central bank wants to hype or dype the market.

Maybe subconsciously you know when you are doing something detrimental to your success but do it any way. Then you find some external reason to shift the blame from your yourself. (As. Trader) You're inherintly insecure and self sabotage as a punishment for something you're affraid to admit or do.

Just a guess.

Quoting notimportant
I am not sure if cigarettes and trading have some kind of relationship, but here is my view on it. In my trading "career", i've noticed two different periods: in some periods making more profits than losses is somehow a struggle, in these my balance chart is a series of up and down, going mostly nowhere. Overall, loosing money on the long term. in some periods, profitable trades comes naturally, profits do accumulate over time, overall making good money in the long term. I used to try to find a reason as of why these two kind of situations arises,...
  • #8
  • Oct 10, 2014 7:04am Oct 10, 2014 7:04am
Quoting Kong
Lol ... What came first shap? The chicken or the egg? I used to be a heavy smoker, then I quit for 3 months now I'm a heavy smoker again... Throughout this whole time I won trades and lost trades profiting an average 3 times more than ammounts lost at a win rate that varied between 60 and 30% excluding the occasional break even. Do I say this to brag? No I say this to tell you that your smoking has no influence on whether or not a central bank wants to hype or dype the market. Maybe subconsciously you know when you are doing something detrimental...
It is interested that you mentioned the words "self sabotage", we can say that smoking is also a self-sabotage mechanism (you poison yourself on a daily basis).
So, i may think that smoking itself is just an indication of a wider self-sabotage state of mind, and this in turn affect trading performance.

Interesting, i will look for more informations about the self-sabotage matter.
  • #9
  • Oct 10, 2014 9:23am Oct 10, 2014 9:23am
If you are a heavy smoker, it may have a reflection and insight to your current temperament. Stressed much?

Typically, people that smoke or chain smoke do it for 'relief', or it enables a sense of calming afterwards. This gives me the impression you are not psychologically prepared or suited for draw downs, proper thinking/trading, etc. As opposed to be calm and cool and logical undisturbed mechanical thinking and planned trades.


Stop smoking, go to the gym.. eat healthy, and the rest will take care of itself.. regardless or not trading works out.. take care of yourself first.
  • #10
  • Oct 11, 2014 10:43am Oct 11, 2014 10:43am
Quoting pr3dict0r
If you are a heavy smoker, it may have a reflection and insight to your current temperament. Stressed much? Typically, people that smoke or chain smoke do it for 'relief', or it enables a sense of calming afterwards. This gives me the impression you are not psychologically prepared or suited for draw downs, proper thinking/trading, etc. As opposed to be calm and cool and logical undisturbed mechanical thinking and planned trades. Stop smoking, go to the gym.. eat healthy, and the rest will take care of itself.. regardless or not trading works out.....
You got a lot of impressions i see
Don't worry about me btw, i'm just ok.

My point here is that smoking cigarettes may have a big impact on trading performances, at least with me (and i guess this can happen with others too, as we are all human beings).
And this is an information that i am sharing with the FF community, then everybody is free to accept it or reject it.


As for the calm and cool and logical undisturbed mechanical thinking and planned trades (stress free i guess), ok that sounds soo good!
I wish to experience that kind of trading one day..

Thanks by the way!
  • #11
  • Oct 11, 2014 3:29pm Oct 11, 2014 3:29pm
This might seem bit crazy but since the topic is on
has anyone here tried cocaine ? it does help in increasing alertness and making brain function more actively.

dark chocolates and coffee also helps in staying more focused
  • #12
  • Last Post: Oct 11, 2014 4:10pm Oct 11, 2014 4:10pm
Quoting dranzer006
This might seem bit crazy but since the topic is on has anyone here tried cocaine ? it does help in increasing alertness and making brain function more actively. dark chocolates and coffee also helps in staying more focused
I've never tried, but it is known that drugs do mess your focus and your life in general, so taking them while trading seems really a stupid thing..?
I mean, just my opinion (as i've never tried, i can be totally wrong).

I may see the advantages of such drug in jobs like musician, actor, politician, showman, salesman, entrepreneur, and all the jobs where you have to looks cool and active and fearless and powerful in some way.

But with trading, the market don't really care about who you are or how you look, in fact the best trading come out when the trader is in a "egoless" state, a mind-silent state, where (to get back on cigarettes topic) even the act of smoking a cigarette can disturb this state and force the mind to get back in the "normal" thinking mode.

What we need is a clear mind, free from any non-trading thought, free from the past and the future, free from the fear of losses or desire of profits, just a blank mind and a chart.

As for now i've come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is just avoid any distraction like cigarettes for example, maybe do some meditation.

The idea of take some substance to force this calm state of mind is not bad though, interesting..
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