2025-02-13

The Variabilities of Dopamine (₯) - PART VI: MeSH: D016520, D058068 and ICD11 (Just want to start a business)

“We [entrepreneurs] have incredible enthusiasm, and I think part of the success of any entrepreneur is energy.” 

(Dame Anita Roddick)

When we think of entrepreneurs, it's easy to think of their indomitable spirit - passion, energy, and insatiable drive. Anita Roddick, the brilliant founder of The Body Shop, once remarked in an interview with BBC’s Martin Lewis. This succinctly encapsulates the essence of entrepreneurs in the eyes of the general public—boundless enthusiasm and vitality.

Yet, the true nature of entrepreneurial passion runs deeper, as revealed by the intricate dance of neuroscience. This is vividly illustrated in the title of a scientific paper, "Baby, I'm addicted!" This research delves into the intoxicating world of dopamine, the chemical conductor orchestrating the pleasure-pain symphony of entrepreneurial addiction. Driven by dopamine, entrepreneurs often view their ventures as their offspring, forging an intense psychological bond that transforms initial fervor into an addiction to the entrepreneurial journey itself.

The unseen force propelling entrepreneurs—dopamine—is a fascinating, yet seldom highlighted, aspect of entrepreneurship. The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) knowledge tree intriguingly maps entrepreneurship within the domains of "Technology, Industry, and Agriculture" and "Health Services Management." It defines entrepreneurship as the organization, management, and assumption of risk in a business venture, typically involving elements of change, challenge, and novel opportunities. In the realm of dopamine-fueled neurophysiology, these changes and challenges are intrinsically linked to our innate desires, rewards, goals, and the pursuit of novelty.

But dopamine's role in entrepreneurial zeal is just one facet of a burgeoning field—neuroentrepreneurship. Since 2009, this discipline has blossomed, spotlighting the profound influence of brain function on business decisions. Leading the charge in this nascent research are the United Kingdom, the United States, and India, with over 75% of studies emerging in the past five years. These investigations weave together neuroscience and entrepreneurship, exploring neurotechnology applications in business, the neural traits of entrepreneurs, and the ethical considerations of neuroentrepreneurship. Researchers delve into the brain regions involved in decision-making, the cortical activations that pave the way for business triumphs, and how an entrepreneurial mindset enhances the identification, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities, ultimately refining decision-making processes.

In the grand tapestry of entrepreneurship, it's not just passion and energy that drive success, but a complex interplay of neurological impulses, challenges, and a relentless quest for novelty and rewards.

In the vibrant world of scientific inquiry, the year 2024 witnessed an intriguing collaboration between European and American scientists, spearheaded by Freeman and his team. Their article, titled "Dopamine and Entrepreneurship: Unifying Entrepreneurial Personality Traits, Psychiatric Symptoms, Entrepreneurial Actions and Results," unfurled a tapestry of understanding, weaving together the threads of dopamine and entrepreneurship.

This scholarly endeavor provided a comprehensive framework from a dopaminergic perspective, delving into the nexus of personality traits and psychiatric symptoms within the entrepreneurial sphere. The study deftly linked positive dopaminergic traits—such as openness, extroversion, and conscientiousness—with psychiatric conditions including bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and behavioral addiction. Freeman and his colleagues painted a vivid picture, distinguishing between "dopaminergic superpowers" and the more shadowy "dopaminergic vulnerabilities."

The beauty of the dopaminergic perspective lies in its ability to furnish an analytical lens through which we can examine entrepreneurship. At its core, personality traits are etched into the brain's intrinsic functional neural networks, mirroring the interplay between enduring neurobehavioral tendencies and a spectrum of environmental stimuli. Among the Big Five personality traits, openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness stand as dopaminergic hallmarks. The dopaminergic system emerges as a maestro, orchestrating motivation and behaviors conducive to entrepreneurship—sensory and novelty seeking, exploratory actions, opportunity recognition, goal engagement, impulsivity, aggression, creativity, and cognitive prowess.

Dopamine, it appears, is the silent architect behind the scenes, driving the pursuit of reward goals. It sifts through salient information (opportunity recognition) and propels the achievement of goals that yield rewards (value creation), all within the dynamic landscape of entrepreneurial risk-taking.

Freeman et al.'s exploration began with the entrepreneur's "endophenotype" biomarker—dopamine. This intriguing term, rooted in the MeSH knowledge tree, encompasses measurable biological, behavioral, or cognitive markers. From this vantage point, the study illuminated how hyperdopaminergia and variations in dopamine physiology manifest across a spectrum of entrepreneurial traits and mental health syndromes:

  1. Conscientiousness: This trait may intertwine with compulsive behaviors, echoing the patterns seen in OCPD and addiction.
  2. Entrepreneurship addiction: An intriguing phenomenon where individuals find it impossible to resist the siren call of starting new ventures.
  3. Impulsivity and reward sensitivity: These traits are linked to emotional and risky decision-making, fueling the energy, speed, and action-orientation needed for entrepreneurial success.
  4. ADHD and bipolar disorder: Impulsive risk-taking and substance use, common in these conditions, reflect the same impulsivity and reward sensitivity seen in entrepreneurs. The brain's mesolimbic and cortical regions, through individual differences in dopamine processing, regulate the tendency to opt for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed ones, sometimes leading to reckless mistakes and adverse business outcomes.

In essence, the intricate dance of dopamine within the entrepreneurial mind offers a rich tapestry of insights, revealing the delicate balance between the superpowers that drive success and the vulnerabilities that accompany the journey.

The 11th revision of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) offers a fascinating window into the world of "dopaminergic fragility." This term encompasses four intriguing conditions—addiction, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

By utilizing the dopaminergic framework, we uncover a spectrum of traits associated with risk-taking and gain insight into why the admirable qualities of entrepreneurs may sometimes veer into darker territories like hubris, ruthlessness, and deviant behavior. The delicate balance of an entrepreneur’s dopaminergic superpowers and vulnerabilities can herald business success or failure and even personal derailment. Cognizant of this delicate balance, Freeman and his colleagues advocate for core competencies in self-awareness, emotional and behavioral regulation, and self-care (adequate sleep, defecation, and diet) as essential for entrepreneurs.

Neurobiologists have meticulously charted the dopaminergic highs and lows within the entrepreneurial psyche. From studies on endophenotypes—measurable biological markers of internal processes—we observe how abnormal dopamine levels manifest in broad personality traits and mental health syndromes. Compared to typical business managers, entrepreneurs display higher dopaminergic characteristics and psychiatric symptoms on average, a trait that could be linked to the factors driving their risk-taking successes. The hidden potential of dopamine means that while not everyone may fall into the thrall of entrepreneurship, the right environmental triggers and genetic expressions at pivotal moments could make the allure of starting a business irresistible.

The thought of entrepreneurship may not be a mere fleeting fancy, 

but a profound and, sometimes, inescapable call driven by the very chemistry of our brains.

Reference

  • Wikiquote: Entrepreneurs, https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Entrepreneurs  
  • Sinha, R. S. (2022). Baby, I'm addicted! The pleasure-pain pathway that shifts entrepreneurial passion to entrepreneurial addiction: Pivotal role of dopamine. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 18, e00340.
  • MSH:D016520: http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D016520  
  • Juárez-Varón, D., Zuluaga, J. C. S., & Recuerda, A. M. (2024).Neuroentrepreneurship: state of the art and future lines of work. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1-15.
  • Freeman, M., Lerner, D., & Rauch, A. (2024). Dopamine and entrepreneurship: Unifying entrepreneur personality traits, psychiatric symptoms, entrepreneurial action and outcomes. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 21, e00461.
  • International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems,ICD, ICD11: 334423054: http://id.who.int/icd/entity/334423054 (2025-01 version)

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