This parasite could turn you into a real entrepreneur

Audacity and taste for risk may be related to the presence in the body of the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis – Toxoplasma gondii . It is spread primarily through the consumption of undercooked meat, poorly washed fruits and vegetables, or water that has been in contact with soils contaminated with cat feces.

A University of Colorado Boulder Study (USA) indicates that if you do not have the entrepreneurial spirit, being infected by Toxoplasma gondii could help you. This parasite could indeed have the faculty to amplify "impulsiveness" "ambition" and "the search for material goods" of "characteristics badociated with entrepreneurial activity " can we read. By badyzing salivary test results from 1,495 US students, the researchers found that protozoan carriers were 1.4 times more likely to go into business and 1.7 times more likely to focus on management and control. entrepreneurship in their studies

In addition, 197 adult professionals participating in entrepreneurship events were also interviewed: carriers of the parasite were 1.8 times more likely to have started their own business. By synthesizing data from 42 countries, researchers also found that the prevalence of infection indicated "activity and entrepreneurial intentions" . Fewer people cited "fear of failure" as a reason not to start a new business.

"We can see the badociation in terms of numbers participants' intentions and intentions, but we do not know if companies created by parasite-positive individuals are more likely to succeed or fail in the long-term " explains Stefanie K. Johnson, lead author of

Note that no one is really safe, as contamination is easy. In France, for example, an estimated 50% of the adult population is infected, with 200,000 to 300,000 new infections each year. Although T. gondii is able to infect almost any species of warm-blooded animal, it can only reproduce in wild and domestic cats.

You will find all the details of this study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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