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Mark R. Leary

Garonzik Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Psychology & Neuroscience
Box 90086, Durham, NC 27708-0085
306 Soc/Psych, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Mark Leary is Garonzik Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan College and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Florida.  He taught previously at Denison University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Wake Forest University.

Leary has published 14 books and more than 250 scholarly articles and chapters on topics dealing with social motivation, emotion, and self-relevant thought, including The Curse of the Self: Self-awareness, Egotism, and the Quality of Human Life.  He has also recorded two courses for the Teaching Company's Great Courses series: Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior and Why You Are Who You Are: Investigations to Human Personality.

Leary is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.  He received the Lifetime Career Award from the International Society for Self and Identity and was co-recipient of the Scientific Impact Award from the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.  He was founding editor of Self and Identity, editor of Personality and Social Psychology Review, and served as President of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Garonzik Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus · 2019 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2019 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published June 28, 2016
Mark Leary: Treating yourself compassionately helps ameliorate distress
Published June 24, 2016
Don't Beat Yourself Up
Published January 14, 2016
Mark Leary: The Surprising Perks of Being Easily Embarrassed

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Recent Publications


Teachers' intellectual humility benefits adolescents' interest and learning.

Journal Article Developmental psychology · February 2026 The expression of intellectual humility-publicly admitting confusion, ignorance, and mistakes-can benefit individuals, but can it also benefit others? Five studies tested the hypothesis that teachers' expressions of intellectual humility would boost U.S. s ... Full text Cite

Bridging Divides: Intellectual Humility's Role in Peaceful Resolution

Journal Article Journal of Applied Social Psychology · February 1, 2026 Intractable intergroup conflicts are often sustained by ingroup-biased cognition and outgroup derogation, which perpetuate cycles of retaliation and violence. This study examined how intellectual humility (IH)—the recognition of the limits and potential fa ... Full text Cite

‘Do no harm’ - the impact of an intervention for addictive eating on disordered eating behaviours in Australian adults: secondary analysis of the TRACE randomised controlled trial

Journal Article Journal of Eating Disorders · December 1, 2025 Background: Designing interventions to change addictive eating behaviours is a complex process and understanding the treatment effect on co-occurring disordered eating behaviours is of importance. This study aimed to explore treatment effects of the TRACE ... Full text Cite
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Education


University of Florida · 1980 Ph.D.
University of Florida · 1978 M.A.
West Virginia Wesleyan College · 1976 B.A.