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Emma Seppälä Ph.D.

About

Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., is a best-selling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker. She teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. A psychologist and research scientist by training, her expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her best-selling book The Happiness Track (HarperOne, 2016) has been translated into dozens of languages. Her new book is Sovereign (Hay House, 2024). Seppälä is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.

Seppälä’s research has been published in top academic journals and featured in major news outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and CBSNews. She speaks and consults internationally for Fortune 500 companies like Google and Facebook and contributes to Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, Psychology Today, and TIME, among others.

A repeat guest on Good Morning America, she also spoke at TedX Sacramento and TEDx Hayward. Her research on breathing for military veterans with trauma was highlighted in the documentary Free the Mind. She is also featured in documentaries like The Altruism Revolution, What You Do Matters, and Bullied.​

Seppälä is the recipient of a number of research grants and service awards, including the James W. Lyons Award from Stanford University for founding Stanford’s first academic class on the psychology of happiness and initiating other well-being programs for Stanford students.

She graduated from Yale (BA), Columbia (MA), and Stanford (Ph.D.). Originally from Paris, France, she is a native speaker of French, English, and German and is conversant in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. You can find her at www.emmaseppala.com or www.iamsov.com.

Books by Emma Seppälä Ph.D.
Recent Posts
Breathing Technique Shown Effective For Trauma

A Stanford study shows that a breathing practice improves post-traumatic stress (PTS) to the same extent as cognitive processing therapy—the gold standard therapy for PTS.

A Stanford study shows that a breathing practice improves post-traumatic stress (PTS) to the same extent as cognitive processing therapy—the gold standard therapy for PTS.

5 Good Reasons to Try Breathwork

Breathwork can be a highly effective way to improve mental health, anxiety, and psychological trauma while building stress resilience and emotional well-being.

Breathwork can be a highly effective way to improve mental health, anxiety, and psychological trauma while building stress resilience and emotional well-being.

3 Ridiculously Easy Tips for More Creativity and Happiness

Creativity can significantly boost well-being. Yet, in schools and at work, creativity is declining rapidly. But the answer is not that hard. Here's what you can do about it.

Creativity can significantly boost well-being. Yet, in schools and at work, creativity is declining rapidly. But the answer is not that hard. Here's what you can do about it.

Stress Resilience: It's a Real Thing and You Can Develop It

Tired of being stressed? You can build and strengthen your resilience to it so you can bounce back more quickly. Here's how.

Tired of being stressed? You can build and strengthen your resilience to it so you can bounce back more quickly. Here's how.