Parasite infection is associated with entrepreneurship (2020)

They controlled for a lot of things but not for cat ownership, which given the particular parasite in question seems like an obvious missing piece. Cat ownership has long been associated with particular personality traits that may in turn be associated with entrepreneurship, so this could have more to do with who chooses to have cats than it does with the parasite.

One of my favorite CRPG NPCs of all time is Erritis from Planescape: Tides of Numenera.<p>He&#x27;s &quot;infected&quot; with nanobots called &quot;The Audience.&quot; The nanobots were created in a long-forgotten war to push their hosts to take great, heroic risks. So he always ends up doing insane things in perfectly innocuous situations. It&#x27;s great.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;numenera.fandom.com&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Erritis" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;numenera.fandom.com&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Erritis</a>

Brb buying a bunch of stray cats to get more $$$ next time I fund-raise for my startup.

From my armchair, I wonder if these published academics considered that the comfort of a cat also increases risk tolerance?<p>BTW The EMyth, though on lifestyle not startup businesses, claimed that a major motivation of entrepreneurs is autonomy (i.e. no boss)

This particular parasite infection is oddly specific to another oddly specific behavioral trait. This is either a very well done research or it’s a sham.

Can you test Bill Hwang for that?<p>my supposition is that there should be way more people like him given the expansion of the money supply and liquidity, but there hasn&#x27;t been an expansion of people willing to take risky bets with capital over several billion dollars.<p>we should expose ultra high net worth people to the protozoan toxoplasma gondii

Coming soon: Toxoplasmosis supplements

Past related threads. What doesn&#x27;t it do?<p><i>Toxoplasmosis and Behavioural Changes</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=38951266">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=38951266</a> - Jan 2024 (1 comment)<p><i>Cat parasite linked to mental illness, schizophrenia</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=38529342">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=38529342</a> - Dec 2023 (13 comments)<p><i>Effects of Latent Toxoplasmosis on Political Beliefs and Values</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=34960674">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=34960674</a> - Feb 2023 (54 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasma makes wolves more likely to become pack leaders</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=33741060">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=33741060</a> - Nov 2022 (1 comment)<p><i>Are toxoplasma-infected subjects more attractive than non-infected ones?</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=30889109">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=30889109</a> - April 2022 (68 comments)<p><i>Effects of Toxoplasma on Human Behavior (2007)</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=29361334">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=29361334</a> - Nov 2021 (26 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasmosis associated with entrepreneurial initiation and performance (2020)</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28988486">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28988486</a> - Oct 2021 (55 comments)<p><i>Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis (2002)</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28424007">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28424007</a> - Sept 2021 (61 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasma – The Most Successful Parasite in the world (2018)</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27870034">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27870034</a> - July 2021 (6 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasmosis: An important risk factor for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27870025">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27870025</a> - July 2021 (77 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasmosis: The Cat Poop Parasite That&#x27;s Probably in Your Brain</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27615857">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27615857</a> - June 2021 (37 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasmosis – A Global Threat (2014)</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27599085">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27599085</a> - June 2021 (54 comments)<p><i>Scientists find link between infection with Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19042800">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19042800</a> - Jan 2019 (1 comment)<p><i>Risky business: linking Toxoplasma infection and entrepreneurship behavior</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=18762544">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=18762544</a> - Dec 2018 (30 comments)<p><i>Mind-altering parasite spread by cats could give humans more courage</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=18000109">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=18000109</a> - Sept 2018 (1 comment)<p><i>Toxoplasma gondii may help promote the entrepreneurial spirit?</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17615209">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17615209</a> - July 2018 (4 comments)<p><i>Rage Disorder Linked with Toxoplasmosis (2016)</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=15376654">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=15376654</a> - Oct 2017 (66 comments)<p><i>Having a Cat Does Not Cause Mental Illness, New Study Suggests</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=13709169">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=13709169</a> - Feb 2017 (41 comments)<p><i>Is there association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and bipolar disorder?</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=13048748">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=13048748</a> - Nov 2016 (13 comments)<p><i>The Relation of Toxoplasma Infection and Sexual Attraction to Fear, Danger, Pain</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=12335134">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=12335134</a> - Aug 2016 (49 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasma gondii – 30 to 50% of humanity has a brain parasite</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=12011197">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=12011197</a> - June 2016 (3 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasma Could Manipulate Our Behavior</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=9269688">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=9269688</a> - March 2015 (23 comments)<p><i>Toxoplasma infection permanently shifts balance in cat-and-mouse game</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=6411785">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=6411785</a> - Sept 2013 (8 comments)<p><i>Cat parasite toxoplasma uses &#x27;Trojan horse&#x27; to infect human brain</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=4888086">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=4888086</a> - Dec 2012 (1 comment)<p><i>A game of cat and mouse: Evidence that Toxoplasmosis may affect human behaviour</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=1420315">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=1420315</a> - June 2010 (4 comments)<p><i>The parasite Toxoplasma makes rats lust for cat pee and people drive motorbikes</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=1405479">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=1405479</a> - June 2010 (24 comments)<p><i>Robert Sapolsky discusses Toxoplasma&#x27;s effects on mammalian behavior</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=1052855">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=1052855</a> - Jan 2010 (3 comments)<p><i>Giant Plush Microbes - Toxoplasmosis, Gangrene, Etc.</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=577409">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=577409</a> - April 2009 (3 comments)

adding raw meat to my diet, check.

Futurama predicted it

From the point of view of a venture capitalist, who has a diversified portfolio of startups (in aggregate occupying a point on the risk&#x2F;reward curve on the frontier), a mechanism like this would be useful, as it would provide the requisite number of entrepreneurs willing to run their individual ventures at a point far riskier than the frontier.

Sooo - how many HNers have cats?

Part of a great interview where Dr. Robert Sapolsky, Professor of Biology, Neurology &amp; Neurosurgery at Stanford University explains Toxoplasmosis.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;NroiGfNohPo?si=g_7Ob0cWQZN_QKAq" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;NroiGfNohPo?si=g_7Ob0cWQZN_QKAq</a>