Is Entrepreneurship the only pursuit of Happiness?

There is a prevailing belief that although running a business may make you rich, there’s a good chance it will make you miserable. But my experience and research say it may not be accurate.

Entrepreneurs are so much happier than those going into high-flying corporate jobs, even though sometimes they may be making lesser money.

This is enumerated in Nikolaev’s study out of Baylor University and the article published under “Entrepreneurship and Subjective Well-Being.”

Why is it so?

It is all about control and autonomy. The Entrepreneurs would be working more hours than an average employee. But the sense of control over their own time and hence the events of life makes them happier.

Scientists experimented with babies older than four months. They gave a toy to the babies. The toy plays music when a string is pulled. The babies were happily playing with this toy and playing music by pulling a string. Then the scientists dissociated the connection between music and pulling the string. And they played music at random intervals. Now they found that the children became sad and angry. The inference is clear; human beings innately crave control.

If you want to be as happy as an entrepreneur, then think like one!

Employees can draw the same benefits as an entrepreneur if they can create a sense of control over their time and what they do. I hope we manage to find a mechanism to exercise control over our own lives. Control is the key to the pursuit of happiness, whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee.