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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


Intellectual humility in romantic relationships: Implications for relationship satisfaction, argument frequency, and conflict behaviors

Journal Article Journal of Research in Personality · June 1, 2025 People who recognize that their viewpoints might be wrong – that is, people higher in intellectual humility (IH) – should fare better in conflicts with relationship partners than people lower in IH. Both members of 74 heterosexual couples (Mage = 32.2 year ... Full text Cite

Teachers' intellectual humility benefits adolescents' interest and learning.

Journal Article Developmental psychology · October 2024 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

The synergy between stress and self-compassion in building resilience: A 4-year longitudinal study

Journal Article Social and Personality Psychology Compass · July 1, 2024 This 4-year prospective study investigated the dynamic relationship between stress, self-compassion, and resilience among university students, a population with increasing rates of mental health challenges. Drawing on stress theories, the research explored ... Full text Open Access Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


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