Is Exposure to the Parasite Taxoplasma Gondii Linked to Entrepreneurial Individuals.

A study was recently published to look at a determining a correlation between whether a person has  Taxoplasma antibodies and career path, specifically majors that have an emphasis in ‘management and entrepreneurship' over other business-related emphasis as well as looking at business professionals and their chosen profession.  Basically, does the fact that someone has been exposed to the parasite Taxoplasma gondii increase their choice in a more entrepreneurial profession which is considered to be associated with increased risk taking.

Conclusions -

• "..found that students (n = 1495) who tested IgG positive for T. gondii exposure were 1.4× more likely to major in business and 1.7× more likely to have an emphasis in ‘management and entrepreneurship' over other business-related emphases" 
• "Among professionals attending entrepreneurship events, T. gondii-positive individuals were 1.8× more likely to have started their own business compared with other attendees (n = 197)." 
• "Finally, infection prevalence was a consistent, positive predictor of entrepreneurial activity and intentions at the national scale"

Surprising or far fetched...not really. We know that the parasite does the same with mice in that parasitic infection makes them less risk adverse, and thus more likely to be eaten by the other part of the parasitic cycle, the cat.

Now it does not say that being less adverse risk means more successful.  There is a link between infection and mental health., including schizophrenia. 

Proceedings of the Royal Society
Biological Science
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1883/20180822
Risky business: linking Toxoplasma gondii infection and entrepreneurship behaviours across individuals and countries
Stefanie K. Johnson, Markus A. Fitza, Daniel A. Lerner, Dana M. Calhoun, Marissa A. Beldon, Elsa T. Chan, Pieter T. J. Johnson
Published 25 July 2018. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0822



Abstract

Disciplines such as business and economics often rely on the assumption of rationality when explaining complex human behaviours. However, growing evidence suggests that behaviour may concurrently be influenced by infectious microorganisms. The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii infects an estimated 2 billion people worldwide and has been linked to behavioural alterations in humans and other vertebrates. Here we integrate primary data from college students and business professionals with national-level information on cultural attitudes towards business to test the hypothesis that T. gondii infection influences individual- as well as societal-scale entrepreneurship activities. Using a saliva-based assay, we found that students (n = 1495) who tested IgG positive for T. gondii exposure were 1.4× more likely to major in business and 1.7× more likely to have an emphasis in ‘management and entrepreneurship' over other business-related emphases. Among professionals attending entrepreneurship events, T. gondii-positive individuals were 1.8× more likely to have started their own business compared with other attendees (n = 197). Finally, after synthesizing and combining country-level databases on T. gondii infection from the past 25 years with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor of entrepreneurial activity, we found that infection prevalence was a consistent, positive predictor of entrepreneurial activity and intentions at the national scale, regardless of whether previously identified economic covariates were included. Nations with higher infection also had a lower fraction of respondents citing ‘fear of failure' in inhibiting new business ventures. While correlational, these results highlight the linkage between parasitic infection and complex human behaviours, including those relevant to business, entrepreneurship and economic productivity.


Significance statement

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite estimated to infect over 2 billion people worldwide. While rarely associated with acute pathology, latent infections have increasingly been linked to subclinical outcomes such as car accidents, neuroticism and suicides through their potential influence on personality and risk-taking behaviours. Whether such effects extend to business-related behaviours among individuals and across populations remains conjectural. By combining data from university students, business professionals and global databases, we highlight the consistent and positive link between T. gondii exposure and entrepreneurial behaviour at both local and international scales. These findings emphasize the ‘hidden' role of parasites as potential drivers of complex human behaviour and economic outcomes.