The role of emotions in entrepreneurship and employability: A different approach of the theory of planned behaviour through neuroentrepreneuship

Abstract

This study examines how positive emotions elicited by an entrepreneurial education programme influence university students’ entrepreneurial intention and self-perceived employability, in order to ascertain how affective states shape career-related decisions in higher education. An empirical research was conducted with 117 marketing and market research students from a Spanish public university who participated in two innovative entrepreneurship training activities. Emotions were captured through a neuroscience-based Emotion AI system using convolutional neural networks, while entrepreneurial intention, perceived behavioural control, social norms, personal attitudes and employability were measured using a theory of planned behaviour questionnaire administered before and after the activities, and the proposed model was estimated using the partial least squares path modelling (PLS-SEM) method. This method was employed due to its suitability for exploratory models and complex relationships. The results indicate that positive emotions significantly increase perceived behavioural control, which in turn reinforces entrepreneurial intention and, ultimately, students’ perceived employability. The study contributes to link entrepreneurial intention and employability using neuroscientific tools unlike previous studies. Additionally, it provides practical guidance for designing entrepreneurship programmes that deliberately evoke positive emotions and promote soft skills.