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Genetics, the Big Five, and the tendency to be self-employed
Scott Shane1, Nicos Nicolaou, Lynn Cherkas
1Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, USA.
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|August 20, 2010
Summary
Genetic factors influence entrepreneurship. Common genes link extraversion and openness to entrepreneurial tendencies, explaining most of the small observed correlations.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral genetics
- Entrepreneurship research
Background:
- The relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurial behavior is complex.
- Understanding the genetic underpinnings of this relationship can provide insights into individual differences in entrepreneurship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent to which genetic factors explain the covariance between the Big Five personality traits and entrepreneurial tendencies.
- To identify specific personality traits influenced by shared genetic factors in relation to entrepreneurship.
Main Methods:
- Multivariate genetic analysis applied to twin data from the United Kingdom (N=3,412) and the United States (N=1,300).
- Examined monozygotic and dizygotic twins to disentangle genetic and environmental influences.
Main Results:
- Common genes significantly influenced the phenotypic correlations between Extraversion and Openness to Experience and the tendency to be an entrepreneur.
- While phenotypic correlations were small, genetic factors accounted for the majority of these associations.
Conclusions:
- Shared genetic factors play a role in the link between specific personality traits (Extraversion, Openness) and entrepreneurship.
- Genetic influences are a primary driver of the observed personality-entrepreneurship covariance, despite small effect sizes.
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