Buy or Sell !?

Everybody makes decisions every moment in his live. Some could be minor while others could be crucial and life changing. Especially at the stock market, it is very important to make the right choices. Would it be better to buy or sell obligations of a certain company? There are many factors influencing your decisions. For example your environment may have an influence, but also intrinsic factors, like whether you're stressed or not, your hormone levels and even your gender makes a difference. On the 17th of September the Xtrack Symposium 'Buy or Sell!? The neurobiology behind decisions' took place. This symposium focussed on what happens in your brain when you make a decision and which factors influence this. The issue of financial decision making was discussed by different speakers, who focussed on their research using methods as diverse as neuro-imaging, electrophysiology and more biochemical methods.

The syposium was organised by a small group of students participating in the Xtrack honours programme. They are all students in one of the Master programmes of the Utrecht School of Life Sciences.  The Xtrack honours programme is a 2 year programme. Organisation of this symposium, which is also part of the Studium Generale program, is part of the  first year of the Xtrack programme.

The Xtrack symposia in the past were successful  and attended by approximately 500 (international) master students.  The subjects varied from Avian influenza to Nanoscience and Functional foods.