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(CNN) – Would you like to run your own business but are you very scared not to try it? Maybe the cat poop can give you the boost you need.
A new study published this week links a parasite from cat feces to a lack of fear and increased risk behaviors
MIRA: The power of cats over humanity: are they as good for health as you think?
Humans may be infected with the parasite, known as Toxoplasma gondii, if they come into direct contact with excreta or cat-contaminated material, said Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson, Researcher principal of the study, at CNN. The study was published Wednesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Infected persons generally do not show any symptoms of toxoplasmic infection, other than feeling as if they had the flu. But he stays in his body indefinitely and often in a wonderful place.
"The most common place that he likes to go is in his brain," said Johnson, an associate professor of administration at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado . Boulder "Many of us walk with this in our brain."
An estimated 2 billion people worldwide have been infected with the parasite.
| Founded in 2009, the non-profit sanctuary was an idea of Kathy Carroll, who saw the need to provide shelter to the growing population of stray cats on the island, as well as to protect endangered birds .
| Bless the animals: nearly 600 cats of all shapes and sizes have a place where they can stay until the end of their lives.
| Let the party begin !: Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by felines ready to be caressed.
| Life is perfect: "Our motto here is that every cat has a plan and that every cat is important," said executive director of Lana's Cat Sanctuary, Keoni Vaughn.
| Hairy Data: The nonprofit sanctuary is highly dependent on donations and, because of its location, many inputs need to be moved.
| Local flavor: the sanctuary only admits cats from the island.
| Admission Form: When a cat arrives at the sanctuary, he is given a name, given a microchip, given injections, then sterilized or castrated, depending on his sex.
| Social Time: Beyond the food and the care of the cats, the employees of the sanctuary participate in many activities of socialization. "We see how these stray or un-socialized cats, who have never trusted humans, are starting to change," Vaughn said.
| The dream life: for many cats, it's an opportunity to live fully with enough food and lots of naps.
| Adoption Option: Approximately 54 cats were adopted by visitors. Other people choose to support animals by "sponsoring" them with a monthly monetary donation.
| And as for humans …: in 2016, nearly 10,000 people visited the sanctuary.
So what effect could a toxoplasmic infection have on behavior? Well, in mice, the infection makes them less afraid of the smell of cat urine, and therefore less afraid of cats. There is a similar risk effect in humans. Johnson said infected people have been involved in road rage, suicide and even schizophrenia. And people who died "in a risky manner" were more likely to have a toxoplasmic infection, he said.
Other researchers have found similar links. A 2007 study by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a research psychiatrist at the Stanley Medical Research Institute, found that people with schizophrenia were 2.7 times more likely to have antibodies against the parasite, indicating that they had been infected, that people in good health and a study done in 2015 by Torrey and his colleagues revealed that schizophrenic adults were more likely to have grown up in homes where there were cats [19659003] MIRA: Increased cases of people with parasites related to McDonald's salads
Other research suggests that toxoplasm helps to increase production of substances such as dopamine and testosterone in the body . Dopamine is a chemical that releases your brain when you experience or anticipate pleasure or reward, while testosterone is a hormone that stimulates the development of the male sex organs, but can also increase episodes of risky and aggressive behavior.
Johnson said, or at least have a little less fear.
The study
Johnson and his team collected saliva samples over a five-year period. Students in commerce and biology must find those who have tested positive for exposure to Toxoplasma gondii. They also asked the business students what their area of interest was.
A study links a parasite in cat feces with the personality characteristics found in entrepreneurs.
This survey found that those in careers were 1.4 times more likely to have an infection than non-professional students. And among business students who tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii, there was 1.7 times more chance of focusing on management or entrepreneurship than other priorities related to business.
How to control the behavior? Johnson wonders how much control we really have over our own behavior.
WATCH: The tingling in this woman's legs has turned out to be a parasite on her back
"It's amazing, I like to think that the decisions I'm taking They're wherever I have control, but in reality, it seems that our decisions can be influenced by a single parasite, there must be many, many more, "he said." There is the community that lives in our bodies, an entire ecosystem that can affect it, I think it's exciting. "
Johnson said that the team's research raises issues. other questions he would like to have more studies like what happens with companies created by people with Toxoplasma.Do they last longer, they average other companies? Would the company have been created if the person had no Toxoplasma?
He also stated that the effect of toxo Plasma on one person may be different if the infection comes from another source, such as eating contaminated meat rather than directly from contaminated meat. cat feces. But this also requires more study. Finally, Johnson said that he wanted to study whether the toxoplasm has an effect on whether a person becomes more conservative or liberal in his political inclinations.
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