Entrepreneurs’ love for their company akin to parental bond

The emotional bond entrepreneurs feel for their companies is similar to a parent’s love for their children, a new study has found.

The study used functional MRIs to study the brain activity of fathers and high-growth entrepreneurs.

Fathers were shown pictures of their own children as well as other children they knew. Entrepreneurs were shown pictures of their own companies and other companies they were familiar with.

Looking at images of one’s own child in particular deactivates the parts of the brain that are responsible for the theory of mind and social understanding. Similar deactivations were observed among entrepreneurs who self-rated as being very closely attached to their company.

Meanwhile, the activation of the brain areas responsible for rewarding and processing emotions seemed to be associated with the confidence of the research subjects among both fathers and especially among entrepreneurs.

High confidence is more typical among men than it is among women.

“Our results indicate that less confident fathers and male entrepreneurs may be more sensitive to the dangers and risks of parenting and entrepreneurship,” said Marja-Liisa Halko from the University of Helsinki. On the other hand, the results also suggest that overconfidence and the repression of negative emotions may lead to overestimation of the probability of success and overly optimistic assumptions for the company.Entrepreneurs are very emotionally involved with their companies, and this involvement supports the long-term efforts of the entrepreneur, a hypothesis had never before been scientifically tested.

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