In recent years, behavioral finance has been gradually developing,
which challenges the hypothesis of rational man in traditional finance. Many
scholars have proved that investors make various irrational decisions through
empirical tests. One of the most typical behaviors is the disposition effect:
an irrational tendency of investors to sell winning assets too early, but hold
losses for too long. Firstly, this paper reviews the different measurement of the
disposition effect. Secondly, it reviews the traditional theories of explanation,
such as prospect theory, mental accounting, regret aversion, belief in mean
reversion, and other relevant theoretical models. The disposition effect of
individual investors can be explained by their personal traits, cognitive
dissonance, social interaction and information. Finally, it puts forward the
corresponding countermeasures. On the one hand, it is necessary to improve
the personal professional quality of investors. On the other hand, the external
conditions can be improved. Both are conducive to reduce the disposition effect
of individual investors, promoting the stability and development of the financial
market.