Happiness as a driver of entrepreneurial initiative and innovation capital

PurposeThis study aims to extend the knowledge in the domain of intellectual capital and entrepreneurship by investigating whether happiness may have a positive influence on entrepreneurial initiative and intellectual property or not.Design/methodology/approachThe used large-scale dataset for 2018 is drawn from the Eurostat. It includes information on individual happiness, sustainability, start-ups, creativity, intellectual property and quality of life, grouped by European countries. Hypotheses are tested through using the linear regression method.FindingsThe findings confirm that happiness, along with creativity, fosters both entrepreneurial initiative and intellectual property.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies should test the model by extending the analysis to different world regions and by considering further variables, such as country culture.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that policy makers have to focus on improving life conditions and sustainability as a means to foster local economies and communities.Originality/valueThis cutting-edge study is unique in its genus, because the prior literature never focused on these topics jointly. At an academic level, it ties happiness to creativity and to “the entrepreneurial spirit”, thus opening up to a new and vast domain of researches.