It’s in the Genes
Researchers in England have concluded that entrepreneurship is primaraly a genetic trait rather than a result of the environment a child grows up in or the kind of education he receives
I find this interesting on a rather personal level. I am a serial entrepreneur, a trait I share with neither of my brothers nor my parents. I was raised in a typical and traditional manner. My father was employed by the federal government for his entire career and my mother stayed at home and took care of us kids. Today both of my brothers have good, steady normal jobs.
I’m adopted, and last year I met my birth parents for the first time. It turns out both of them are entrepreneurs who have started their own companies.
June 21st, 2006 at 6:39 pm
WHaat? You’re really adopted? I didn’t know that.
Hmm, the theory could be correct. Nobody in my family is an entrepreneur and my stint at it went quite awry. Admittedly, there were a number of reasons for this, but the genes could be one of them.
July 24th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
This kind of findings always arouse my suspicion. I’m prepared to believe that entrepreneurship is determined by genes though but I’m not completely convinced. Unfortunately I haven’t read the scientific article (not sure whether it is available on the web).
Interestingly, it seems the Twins Research & Genetic Epidemiology Unit regularly emits studies of highly marketable content aside its medical ones (its main activity I think).
One critical article by the Guardian :
“Spot the infidelity gene”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1363375,00.html
July 25th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Yeah, I was adopted.
The findings may or may not be accurate. I’m not really qualified to judge. However, it does make a lot of sense that risk-tolerance (rather than entrepreneurship itself) would have a strong genetic component to it just as submission and aggression do.