Biography

Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist in the Department of Psychology at Yale University. He also is the Deputy Director of Yale’s Health, Emotion, and Behavior Laboratory and Head of the Emotional Intelligence Unit in the Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy.

Dr. Brackett is the author, co-author, or editor of more than 70 scholarly publications and six social and emotional learning programs for school leaders, teachers, students, and families. He is the co-developer of the RULER model of emotional literacy (the framework for the programs), which posits that teaching children and adults the skills associated with Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions contributes to positive development. In 2009, he was the recipient of the Joseph E. Zins Award for Early Career Contributions to Research on Social and Emotional Learning. He has served as Chairperson of the Social and Emotional Learning Special Interest Group, American Education Research Association (AERA). He also is a member of both CASEL’s Research Advisory and Program Provider Groups.

Brackett’s current research focuses on (a) measuring emotion-based skills and their links to important life outcomes, including relationship quality, mental health, and academic/work performance, and (b) evaluating the impact of school-based interventions targeting the social-emotional skills of students and the adults involved in their education. In 2006, he created a course on emotional intelligence for undergraduates at Yale University. He also co-developed a course on emotional intelligence for aspiring school leaders for Teachers College, Columbia University.

Brackett has received over $2.5 million in grants to study the impact of his team’s social and emotional learning programs. He is extending much of his research to different cultures, including England, Spain, and China. He works regularly with school systems to assess and train students and educators, and delivers keynote addresses and workshops in the US and abroad. Over 30,000 educators and hundreds of thousands of students have received training in his team’s social and emotional learning programs.

Dr. Brackett holds a 5th degree black belt in Hapkido, a Korean martial art.