🎙️ Episode 6 – The Attention Economy: How Information Overload is Destroying Your Trading Decisions

In this episode of Risk On, Ben dives deep into one of the most overlooked threats: information overload.

We live in an age where every tweet, chart, headline, and notification ping battles for your attention. But here’s the uncomfortable truth; your ability to make sound trading decisions is being eroded by dopamine loops, digital distraction, and the relentless churn of financial noise.

Ben unpacks how the attention economy is hijacking your focus, why social media might be the silent killer of your edge, and what the science says about decision fatigue and cognitive breakdown. From dopamine detoxes to building a trading fortress, you’ll walk away with practical frameworks to reclaim your clarity and sharpen your edge.

🚫 Stop drowning in data.

✅ Start trading with precision.

You’ll learn:

Why your brain craves stimulation, not information

The hidden cost of constant scrolling

How decision fatigue ruins your trading over time

Steps to build a focused, distraction-free trading environment

Techniques to filter noise and protect your cognitive bandwidth

If you're feeling mentally scattered or constantly second-guessing trades, this episode is your signal to reset. It’s not about consuming more; it’s about refining what truly matters.

#Trading #RiskManagement #DayTrading #SwingTrading #TradingPsychology #TradingPodcast

Reference List

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Baumeister, R.F., et al. (2008). "Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?"

Bernales, A., Rodriguez, M., & Santos, T. (2023). "Information Flow and Market Liquidity: A Comprehensive Analysis of Trading Behavior under Uncertainty". Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, 37(4), pp. 456–472.

Bernales, A., Valenzuela, M., & Zer, I. (2023). Effects of Information Overload on Financial Markets: How Much Is Too Much? International Finance Discussion Papers, 1372. https://doi.org/10.17016/IFDP.2023.1372

Eppler, M.J., & Mengis, J. (2004). "The Concept of Information Overload: A Review of Literature from Organization Science, Accounting, Marketing, MIS, and Related Disciplines". The Information Society, 20(5), pp. 325–344.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Meshi, D., Elizarova, A., Bender, A., & Verdejo-Garcia, A. (2019). Excessive social media users demonstrate impaired decision making in the Iowa Gambling Task. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(1), 169–173. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.138

Montag, C., Sindermann, C., & Baumeister, H. (2020). Digital phenotyping in psychological and medical sciences: A reflection about necessary prerequisites to reduce harm and increase benefits. Current Opinion in Psychology, 36, 19–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.03.013

Shahrzadi, L., et al. (2024). "Cognitive Load and Decision Quality in High-Frequency Information Environments". Journal of Behavioral Economics, 45(2), pp. 112–129.

Shahrzadi, L., Mansouri, A., Alavi, M., & Shabani, A. (2024). Causes, consequences, and strategies to deal with information overload: A scoping review. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 4, 100261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2024.100261

Vohs, K.D., et al. (2014). "Making Choices Impairs Subsequent Self-Control."