Amy Cuddy

At 19, a traumatic brain injury left Amy Cuddy unable to finish her degree. Doctors doubted her recovery. But yet, she went on to earn her doctorate from Princeton, join the faculty at Harvard Business School, and deliver a TED Talk that has been watched more than 75 million times.

However, at the height of her career, Cuddy faced something she describes as harder than brain injury. Four years of relentless academic bullying drove her out of Harvard and made her the public scapegoat of social science’s replication crisis. But she survived that too.

Her brilliant ascent, devastating collapse, and hard-won resurgence is what makes her one of the most compelling voices in social psychology today.

A social psychologist, bestselling author, and sought-after keynote speaker, Amy Cuddy has spent over two decades researching the forces that shape how we see ourselves and each other. Power, presence, nonverbal behaviour, bias, and the psychology of performance under pressure. Her doctoral research at Princeton produced one of the most cited theories in modern social psychology. She found that humans instinctively evaluate one another on just two dimensions, warmth and competence, and that these snap judgements powerfully determine how we treat each other. It has reshaped thinking on leadership, marketing, and diversity across academia and business alike.

Her New York Times bestseller Presence, described by the paper as “concrete and inspiring, simple but ambitious — above all, truly powerful” has sold over half a million copies and published in 35 languages. Her next book, Bullied (HarperCollins, 2027), takes on adult bullying: its psychological mechanics, devastating consequences, and the collective courage required to stop it.

Amy Cuddy brings her research into the arena of high-stakes performance, working with professional sports teams, NCAA coaches, musicians, actors, and public speakers on what separates those who rise under pressure from those who unravel. She writes on the psychology and neuroscience of athletic performance as a contributor to The Athletic–NYT, and is a regular presence in global media, from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to BBC World News.