The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America (2005) argues that "American entrepreneurs are largely hypomanic." (p. 4)

"Hypomania is a mild form of mania, often found in the relatives of manic depressives. Hypomanics are brimming with infectious energy, irrational confidence, and really big ideas. They think, talk, move, and make decisions quickly. Anyone who slows them down with questions 'just doesn't get it.' Hypomanics are not crazy, but 'normal' is not the first word that comes to mind when describing them. Hypomanics live on the edge, between normal and abnormal." (p. 2)

 "If there is any one trait that distinguishes highly successful people, it is that they are, by temperament, highly motivated. From our studies of the brain we now know that mood is an intrinsic part of the apparatus that controls motivation. Mood is meant either to facilitate or inhibit action. When someone is depressed, he has no motivation to act. ... Hypomania is the polar opposite. The drives that motivate behavior surge to a screaming pitch, making the urgency of action irresistible. ... This pressure to act creates overachievers, but it also leads to impulsive behavior ... and confident leaders who glibly take their followers over a cliff." (p. 11)