In fact, studies done on the topic by social scientists have tended to be contradictory, leading some experts to conclude that it's impossible to reach a definitive answer. It found that entrepreneurs reported higher levels of job satisfaction and autonomy than salaried managers, despite the fact that the self-employed spent significantly more hours on the job. It's very difficult to ask people about subjective things like how happy they are. The answers change based on when and who you ask. There have been a series of surveys done over the past 20 years, with mixed results based on the sampling size and who is being talked to.
People think that entrepreneurs have more freedom and independence than employees.
And the fact is, there are huge numbers of very happy employees in the world. Certainly, entrepreneurs can also be happy with their jobs. The National Federation of Independent Business, a nonprofit, small-business advocacy group, tracked startups for three years. Jim Weidman, an NFIB spokesman in Washington, D.C., says the majority of small-business owners reported starting their own companies to pursue personal interests. Of course, even when you do something you really enjoy, if you can't make your bills, that rains on your parade a little.