James W. Pennebaker

Biosketch

Jamie Pennebaker grew up in Midland, Texas, a small town shaped by oil, greed, and a sense of adventure – a perfect training ground for social psychology. He attended the University of Arizona before transferring with his girlfriend, Ruth, to Eckerd College, where he discovered psychology and the world of mouse brains, social dynamics, and personality. After graduation, he and Ruth married and moved to the University of Texas at Austin to study social psychology and law, respectively. Jamie’s career started at the University of Virginia and Southern Methodist University, and eventually back to UT Austin, where he has been since 1997. He has chaired two psychology departments, been presidents of various academic societies, and received many honors for teaching and research. His early research on language resulted in the development of a computer-based text analysis program, LIWC, which became part of two companies that support research in academics and business. Ruth transitioned from law to becoming a journalist and writer. They continue to live in Austin with children and grandchildren in Austin and Chicago.

Research Interests

Jamie’s expertise lies at the intersection of social, personality, health, and language psychology and has followed three main threads over the course of his career. The first explored the psychology of physical symptoms. Common symptoms—like a racing heart or muscle tension—are generally poorly correlated with actual biological states. His early studies found that people often infer bodily sensations from the world around them rather than directly from internal cues. The second research line emerged from the discovery that people who reported high rates of physical symptoms often had experienced traumatic events they had never shared. Keeping secrets can undermine both physical and mental health. This led to the development of expressive writing interventions. When people wrote about personal upheavals for 15–20 minutes over 3–4 days, they later visited physicians for illness at lower rates for the next several months. This method has now been replicated in nearly 2,000 studies and is widely used in therapy, business, and education. Pennebaker’s current research focuses on how everyday language reveals personality, emotion, and behavior. Using AI and other text analysis tools, he and his current and former students are exploring deception, close relationships, cultural upheavals, and historical changes.