Born to Be Managers? Genetic Links between Risk-Taking and the Likelihood of Holding Managerial Positions

Abstract

Using a large biomedical dataset and advanced methods in genetics, we study the genetic endowment of holding managerial positions and its phenotypic and genetic correlations with a broad range of traits, including physical attributes, intelligence, mental health, and diseases. Among all traits we examined, general risk tolerance and risky behaviors have the strongest phenotypic and genetic correlations with holding managerial positions. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) reveals that holding managerial positions is associated with genetic markers in a region that has been linked to risk tolerance and adventurousness. Additionally, compared to males, females exhibit higher genetic correlations between risk-taking and being a manager. However, their phenotypic correlations between risk-taking and being a manager are similar or even lower. These findings suggest that females may face greater challenges in attaining managerial positions than males. Furthermore, we show that being a manager is positively associated with better mental health but not related to intelligence.

Keywords: UK Biobank; manager; CEO; risk-taking; mental health; GWAS