Infection from the globally prevalent parasite听Toxoplasma gondii听may increase a person鈥檚 likelihood of pursuing entrepreneurial and business-related activities, new 抖阴旅行射 Boulder research finds.听
In a study of 1,495 undergraduate students, 抖阴旅行射 Boulder researchers found that听T. gondii-positive individuals were 1.4 times more likely to major in business and 1.7 times more likely to pursue a pursue a management and entrepreneurship emphasis. In an additional survey of 197 adult professionals attending entrepreneurship events, infected individuals were 1.8 times more likely to have started their own business compared with other attendees.
The researchers also compiled national statistics from 42 countries over the past 25 years and found that听T. gondii听infection prevalences (ranging from 9 percent in Norway to 60 percent in Brazil) proved to be a consistent, positive predictor of entrepreneurial activity, even when controlling for relative national wealth and opportunity factors.
T. gondii, which reproduces in wild and domestic cats, infects an estimated 2 billion people worldwide. While human infections often lack acute symptoms,听T. gondii听has been correlated with impulsive behaviors and health outcomes such as increased risk of car accidents, road rage, mental illness, neuroticism, drug abuse and suicide.听
The explanation behind these altered behaviors is as disturbing as it is fascinating: Because the parasite needs a cat to reproduce, any changes in host behavior that make them more likely to get eaten by a feline are hypothesized to benefit the parasite.
The new study, which was in the journal听Proceedings of the Royal Society B, highlights the hidden, underexplored role that transmissible microbes could play in affecting human decision-making and cultural behaviors on large scales.
鈥淎s humans, we like to think that we are in control of our actions,鈥� said Pieter Johnson, the co-lead author of the study and a professor in 抖阴旅行射 Boulder鈥檚听Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO). 鈥淏ut emerging research shows that the microorganisms we encounter in our daily lives have the potential to influence their hosts in significant ways.鈥�
Other examples of such parasite-host interactions abound in nature, including the infamous听Ophiocordyceps unilateralis听fungus that hijacks carpenter ants鈥� brains and compels self-destructive behavior. More benignly, the human gut microbiome contains bacteria that have been linked to mood, diet and immune system functions.
Economics research has historically emphasized the importance of rationality in explaining human decisions, with individuals considering benefits and risks before acting in their self-interest.听T. gondii听exposure, however, might nudge individuals toward higher risk, higher reward activities and deviating from economic theory.
The study found that nations with a higher infection prevalence saw a lower fraction of respondents cite a 鈥渇ear of failure鈥� as a deterrent to a new business venture. But that鈥檚 not to say that all of those businesses will work out or that听T. gondii听necessarily deserves credit or blame for any individual outcome, the researchers said.
鈥淲e can see the association in terms of the number of businesses and the intent of participants, but we don鈥檛 know if the businesses started by听T.gondii-positive individuals are more likely to succeed or fail in the long run,鈥� said Stefanie K. Johnson, lead author of the study and an associate professor in 抖阴旅行射 Boulder鈥檚听Leeds School of Business. 鈥淣ew ventures have high failure rates, so a fear of failure is quite rational.听罢.驳辞苍诲颈颈听might just reduce that rational fear.鈥�
The researchers emphasized that the study is correlational, rather than causal, in nature and that individuals pre-disposed to high-risk behavior could be more likely to be both entrepreneurial in their attitudes and exposed to听T. gondii听through animal contact.听
鈥淚nfectious diseases have strongly shaped human history and culture over millions of years,鈥� said Pieter Johnson. 鈥淭oday, we like to believe our decisions and destiny are ours alone, but the contributing roles of our microscopic companions are increasingly apparent.鈥�
The听David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Colorado State University鈥檚 One Health Program, and 抖阴旅行射 Boulder鈥檚 Deming Center for Entrepreneurship provided funding for the study. Co-authors includeMarissa Beldon of Leeds; Dana Calhoun of EBIO;听Markus Fitza of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Frankfurt, Germany; Daniel A. Lerner of the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain; and Elsa Chan of City University of Hong Kong in China.
