International research links cat poo parasite to taking risks

NEW research has shown when it comes to being a successful entrepreneur, you’ve either got it or you don’t. And after reading this you might not want it.

WANT to know the secret to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

It turns out it’s actually pretty gross. New research has shown people infected with a certain parasite found in cat poo are more likely to be entrepreneurial and start new business ventures — seriously.

American scientists conducted a study on the parasite, toxoplasma gondii, which is spread by cats and has infected an estimated two billion people worldwide.

The bug has previously been linked to a host of behaviours, from car accidents to suicide and neuroticism, because of its potential influence on personality and risk-taking.

Now researchers have discovered a positive link between the parasite and entrepreneurial behaviour.

They even showed that countries like Australia, with low rates of the infection, also tend to have fewer people intending to start their own business.

It is one of the most common parasitic infections of people and other warm-blooded animals and while in most adults it doesn’t cause serious illness, it can cause blindness and mental problems in congenitally infected children and devastating disease in people with low immunity.

Researchers from the University of Colorado combined data from university students, business professionals and global databases to find the link, showing the “hidden role” parasites play as potential drivers of human behaviour and economic outcomes.

This heat map shows where there are more entrepreneurs. The colour of the country reflects the fraction of surveyed respondents with intentions to start their own business (from light blue to dark blue), while the colour of the superimposed circle reflects the magnitude of infection (from light yellow to dark red). Picture: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

A simple spit test was given to almost 1500 US students and showed that those exposed to the parasite were 1.4 times more likely to be majoring in business, and 1.7 times more likely to have an emphasis on “management and entrepreneurship”.

When it came to the 197 professionals attending business events they found they were almost twice as likely to have started their own businesses if they had been infected with the parasite.

The bug has already been proven to turn the average cowering mouse into a rodent that’s not scared of cats.

Infected mice were not put off by the smell of cat urine and appeared to forget where they were.

It’s thought this could be an evolved characteristic of the parasite, helping it jump between cats through their food supply.

The researchers said more research needed to be done on an individual level.

“Emerging research in the biological sciences has increasingly emphasised the importance of transmissible agents — ranging from viruses to worms -in collectively shaping host immunity, susceptibility to anxiety and mental disorders and even mate attraction,” they wrote.

“Such findings suggest that infections — through their influence on individual behaviour — further have the potential to affect large-scale cultural and business-related outcomes.

“What drives differences in entrepreneurial activity rates remains an important question, for which this study offers insight into the potential role of infection.”

Nearly one-third of humanity has been exposed to this parasite which is transmitted in cats. Picture: iStock.