HOBOKEN, N.J., October 22, 2026 — Conventional wisdom suggests that the long hours and pressures of entrepreneurship can take a toll on health. But new research by Cristiano Bellavitis, associate professor in the School of Business at Stevens Institute of Technology , and his collaborators, finds that entrepreneurs tend to live longer than people who spend their careers working for others.
Drawing on more than two decades of data from over 27,000 Americans aged 50 and older, Bellavitis's study finds that people who have engaged in entrepreneurship have approximately a 10 percent lower risk of death than non-entrepreneurs, even after accounting for factors like age, income, education and health.
Researchers suggest that the autonomy, purpose and personal control associated with entrepreneurship may help explain the pattern and contribute to long-term well-being.
"Most people think of entrepreneurship as extremely stressful, and it certainly can be," Bellavitis says. "But entrepreneurship also gives people a high degree of autonomy and the opportunity to pursue something they genuinely love or care about. Our findings suggest those benefits may have lasting effects."
Mental health appeared to be a statistically significant factor, Bellavitis notes. Entrepreneurs reported lower levels of depression and loneliness, both of which have been associated with better health outcomes and greater longevity.
The study found that the longevity advantage was the strongest among opportunity-driven entrepreneurs: individuals who launched their ventures because they wanted to start a business and pursue a promising opportunity. By contrast, people who became entrepreneurs out of necessity, such as after losing a job, did not reap the same benefits.
"What seems to matter is not entrepreneurship alone, but the circumstances under which people enter it," Bellavitis says. "When entrepreneurship reflects greater choice and opportunity, the autonomy and sense of purpose that can come with it may provide psychological benefits that extend beyond financial rewards."
The study titled Do Entrepreneurs Live Longer? was published in the Journal of Business Venturing on October 22, 2026.
The researchers emphasize that while the study identifies a strong relationship between entrepreneurship and longevity, it does not prove that entrepreneurship directly causes people to live longer. However, even after controlling for numerous demographic, economic and health factors and conducting additional analysis, the relationship remains significant.
Researchers also found that longer and more frequent engagement in entrepreneurship was associated with a longer lifespan.
The findings don't apply to entrepreneurs only, Bellavitis notes — employers can learn from them as well. Organizations can incorporate some of entrepreneurship's benefits by giving employees greater autonomy, ownership and visibility into the impact of their work. Creating a more entrepreneurial workplace, where employees have the freedom to make decisions, pursue ideas and see the results of their efforts, may help support engagement and well-being while avoiding some of the financial and personal risks associated with starting a business. "In many ways, that could be the best of both worlds. Companies can foster the independence, purpose and excitement that often come with entrepreneurship while providing the stability of traditional employment," Bellavitis says.
He adds that "the broader lesson isn't that everyone should quit their job and start a company." It's that purpose, autonomy and meaningful engagement matter. "Whether you're an entrepreneur or an employee, finding ways to have ownership of your work and a reason to be excited about what you do every day is important for long-term well-being."
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens' education and research. Within the university's four schools, more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation's leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni and return on tuition investment.
