Are You Studying Business? You May Have a Mind-Controlling Parasite from Cat Poop, Science Says

Congrats?

For years, we assumed getting a mind-controlling parasite in our brain was a bad thing.

But science is giving us the ol’ "not so fast".

This week, researchers from the University of Colorado noted that people who have been infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, found in cat faeces, are more likely to major in business or have an entrepreneurial spirit, compared to those unlucky souls who haven’t been rifling through cat excrement.

According to NBC News, the study was conducted at an entrepreneurship seminar, where it was found that those who were infected were 1.8 times more likely to have started their own business.

Nearly 1,500 students also participated in a saliva test, and those who were infected were 1.4 times more likely to be majoring in business.

Researchers are now working on the hypothesis that the parasite reduces our fear of failure (to explain why those who are infected start businesses in greater numbers than non-infectees).

Though that’s yet to be officially proven by their studies, the parasite has historically made mice less afraid of cats.

Of course, it’s still worth noting that Toxoplasmosis—which is what the infection is called—is not something you want to give yourself, as it’s linked to a greater risk of "car accidents, mental illness, neuroticism, drug abuse and suicide," according to the researchers’ paper.

Also, there’s the possibility that a bit of rational fear is a good thing: after all, those unafraid mice are more likely to be eaten by cats. That’s basically the parasite at work, extending its life cycle.

So, if you don’t want a mind-controlling parasite trying to fool you into being eaten by a cat, avoid cat poop and poorly cooked meat please.

Header Image: iStock.com/Wavebreakmedia & kyoshino