Founders Who Can't Read Their Emotions Lose Commitment, Study Finds

Entrepreneurs who struggle to recognize their own emotions show measurably lower commitment to their business goals — and stress makes the gap dramatic. That's the core finding of a new University of Bath School of Management study published in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights in 2026.

The research draws on data from more than 400 entrepreneurs in Indonesia and the United States. Researcher Jason Gabriel Jonathan found that higher levels of alexithymia — a personality trait that makes it hard to recognize, understand and describe one's own emotions — were associated with lower commitment to business goals. Founders who reported greater difficulty understanding their emotions were also less likely to develop a strong emotional attachment to their ventures, which in turn drove down goal commitment.

What is alexithymia?

Alexithymia isn't a mental health disorder. It's a neuropsychological trait, typically identified through self-assessment questionnaires or evaluation by a third party. People with the trait still experience emotions; they just struggle to identify what they're feeling or put it into words.

That distinction matters for how the study's findings should be applied. Jonathan frames it as a performance variable, not a diagnosis.

"It's important and valuable for entrepreneurs to understand alexithymia and its potential impact on their performance and decision-making—my research shows that entrepreneurial success may depend not only on what founders feel, but also on how well they understand those feelings," Jonathan said.

When does the effect show up?

Not constantly. Under normal conditions, the trait's impact stays muted. The damage surfaces in high-stress periods.

"Under normal conditions, the impact of alexithymia is not so noticeable, but we found it has a dramatic influence when a person is going through highly stressful periods. Stress really heightens the negative aspects of alexithymia, so understanding if you have this personality trait may be key to how well you perform or stay committed to your business goals in a demanding business environment," Jonathan said.

He offered a concrete scenario: a startup founder repeatedly fails to secure investment. The rejections pile up. The founder grows unsettled but can't parse or explain why.

"They struggle to recognize that their disappointment comes from seeing something they deeply care about encounter repeated setbacks. Instead, they begin associating those unpleasant feelings with the business itself. What was once a source of excitement for them gradually starts to feel like a burden. As financial pressure mounts, they become emotionally detached from the venture and less committed to getting the product to market," he said.

What should founders and investors do?

The study points to practical fixes rather than just diagnosis. Jonathan suggested three tools founders can use to better understand their emotions and sustain motivation through difficult stretches:

• Mindfulness training
• Reflection exercises
• Stress-management techniques

He also argued that business incubators and mentoring programs should add emotional self-awareness training to the traditional mix of support. Most founder-development programs concentrate on strategy, finance and leadership skills. Jonathan believes that leaves a gap.

"The findings have practical implications for entrepreneurs, investors and organizations that support new businesses. Founder-development programs often focus on areas such as strategy, finance and leadership, but I think there may be considerable value in helping entrepreneurs improve their emotional self-awareness," he said.

Dr. Debbie Desrochers, who supervised the research, said the work fills a hole in what's known about entrepreneurial emotion.

"While research shows the role of emotions in entrepreneurial ventures, Jason's research highlights why some people may be disadvantaged, and how this can be rectified. These insights provide a theoretical contribution to the discipline and sensible guidance to practice," Desrochers said.

The full study — "No words for feelings, no attachment to ventures? Alexithymia, venture attachment, and venture goal commitment under perceived stress" — carries the DOI 10.1016/j.jbvi.2026.e00654 and was provided by the University of Bath. For accelerators and investors screening founder resilience, the message is direct: emotional self-awareness may be as trainable — and as consequential — as financial literacy.