James W. Pennebaker

{{Short description|U.S. psychology professor and language analyst}} {{Infobox person | name = James Whiting Pennebaker | image =James pennebaker 2011.jpg | alt = | caption = James W. Pennebaker at the 2011 Texas Book Festival. | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|03|02}} | birth_place = Midland, Texas, U.S. | death_date =  | death_place = | other_names = | known_for = Social psychology Writing therapy Anthropological linguistics Psycholinguistics Sociolinguistics physical symptoms | occupation = Regents Centennial Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and Co-founder of Receptiviti }} '''James Whiting Pennebaker''' (born March 2, 1950) is an American social psychologist. He is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.<ref name="homepage">[http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/pennebaker/Home2000/Background.htm James W. Pennebaker Background Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206155308/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Home2000/Background.htm |date=2008-12-06 }}, Department of Psychology, University of Texas.</ref> His research focuses on the relationship between natural language use, health, and social behavior, most recently "how everyday language reflects basic social and personality processes".<ref>[http://pennebaker.socialpsychology.org/#overview James W. Pennebaker] at Social Psychology Network, December 1, 2010, retrieved August 21, 2011.</ref> He was elected a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web | title=National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS | url=https://www.nasonline.org/news/2025-nas-election/ | access-date=2025-08-25 | website=www.nasonline.org}}</ref>

==Education and career== Pennebaker received his B.A. in psychology from Eckerd College in 1972 with honors and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://academics.eckerd.edu/facultywiki/index.php/ECAlum:Academic_Grads_(1970s)|title=ECAlum:Academic Grads (1970s) - Eckerd Academic Wiki|date=2013-07-07|access-date=2020-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707113544/http://academics.eckerd.edu/facultywiki/index.php/ECAlum:Academic_Grads_(1970s)|archive-date=2013-07-07}}</ref>

He has held the following positions:<ref name="homepage"/> *1977–1983: Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia *1983–1997: Associate and Full Professor, Southern Methodist University; 1995–1997: Chair of Psychology Department *1997–present: Professor of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin **2005–2009: Bush Regents Professor of Liberal Arts and Barbara Bush Professor of Psychology **2009–2023: Regents Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts **2023–present: Emeritus Professor of Psychology *2005–2014: Chair of Psychology Department *2005–2010: International Research Professor, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, England *2016–2018: Executive Director, Project 2021 to rethink undergraduate education University of Texas at Austin

== Research == Over the course of his career, Pennebaker has studied the nature of physical symptoms, health consequences of secrets, expressive writing, and natural language, and has received grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Templeton Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Institute, and other federal agencies for studies in language, emotion, and social dynamics.

A pioneer of writing therapy, he has researched the link between language and recovering from trauma and been "recognized by the American Psychological Association as one of the top researchers on trauma, disclosure, and health."<ref name=Wapner>Jessica Wapner, [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/science/14prof.html "He Counts Your Words (Even Those Pronouns)"], Biography, ''New York Times'' October 13, 2008.</ref><ref>Earlita Chenault, [http://www.newharbinger.com/bookstore/client/client_images/NHpdfs/WritingToHeal-Update.pdf James W. Pennebaker: Author of ''Writing to Heal''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929212320/http://www.newharbinger.com/bookstore/client/client_images/NHpdfs/WritingToHeal-Update.pdf |date=2011-09-29 }}, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., retrieved August 21, 2011.</ref> In particular, he finds a person's use of "low-level words", such as pronouns and articles, predictive of recovery as well as indicative of sex, age, and personality traits: "Virtually no one in psychology has realized that low-level words can give clues to large-scale behaviors."<ref name=Wapner/><ref name=SciAm>Jan Dönges, [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=you-are-what-you-say "What Your Choice of Words Says about Your Personality: A language analysis program reveals personality, mental health and intent by counting and categorizing words"], ''Scientific American Mind'', July 2009 (originally titled "You Are What You Say").</ref>

In the mid-1990s, he and colleagues developed the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC; pronounced "Luke"), a computerized text analysis program that outputs the percentage of words in a given text that fall into one or more of over 80 linguistic (e.g., first-person singular pronouns, conjunctions), psychological (e.g., anger, achievement), and topical (e.g., leisure, money) categories. It builds on previous research linking language patterns with mental states and traits but is more efficient and objective than hand coding methods.<ref name=Wapner/><ref name=SciAm/> Pennebaker and his collaborators have used LIWC to analyze the language of Al Qaeda leaders and of political candidates, particularly in the 2008 United States presidential election.<ref name=Wapner/><ref name=SciAm/> The use of LIWC is widespread, particularly in the social-behavioral and computer sciences. It is commonly used to examine group and individual differences in communication and writing, the influence of context on language use, social dynamics in close relationships, and language patterns associated with deception and insider threats.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1177/0261927X09351676 | title=The Psychological Meaning of Words: LIWC and Computerized Text Analysis Methods | date=2010 | last1=Tausczik | first1=Yla R. | last2=Pennebaker | first2=James W. | journal=Journal of Language and Social Psychology | volume=29 | pages=24–54 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1037/lhb0000039 | title=Care, control, or both? Characterizing major dimensions of the mandated treatment relationship | date=2014 | last1=Manchak | first1=Sarah M. | last2=Skeem | first2=Jennifer L. | last3=Rook | first3=Karen S. | journal=Law and Human Behavior | volume=38 | issue=1 | pages=47–57 | pmid=23834388 }}</ref> Pennebaker blogs with associates on what text analysis reveals about political leaders at Wordwatchers: Tracking the language of public figures,<ref name=Wapner/> and Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc. offers free LIWC-based text analysis tools online, including a language style matching calculator and a language-based application of the Thematic Apperception Test.<ref>[http://www.utpsyc.org/ Online Projects], Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc., Online Research Consortium, University of Texas Department of Psychology.</ref>

In January 2017, Pennebaker was one of the speakers in the Linguistic Society of America's inaugural Public Lectures on Language series.<ref>LSA Public Lectures on Language Series: http://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/lsa-public-lectures-language-series</ref>

== Recognition == In 2023 Pennebaker was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Adrienne |date=2023-09-29 |title=Three UT Austin Faculty Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences |url=https://news.utexas.edu/2023/09/29/three-ut-austin-faculty-inducted-into-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=UT News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Pennebaker was elected president of the Association for Psychological Science in May 2024, with his term as president-elect beginning June of the same year.<ref>{{Cite tweet |author=Association for Psychological Science |user=PsychScience |number=1791534002077122585 |date=2024-05-17 |title=Congratulations to the 2024 APS Board of Directors election winners! https://bit.ly/4auFEWO James W. Pennebaker (@jwpennebaker) will begin his term as APS President-Elect in June 2024 and will be joined by new APS Board Members-at-Large Yukiko Uchida and Pamela Davis-Kean. |url=https://twitter.com/PsychScience/status/1791534002077122585 |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=X |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=University of Texas at Austin |date=May 21, 2024 |title=James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D., Elected as President of the Association for Psychological Science |url=https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/news/james-w-pennebaker-ph-d-elected-as-president-of-the-association-for-psychological-science#:~:text=May%2021%2C%202024-,James%20W.,President%2DElect%20in%20June%202024. |website=University of Texas at Austin |access-date=2024-05-24 |language=en }}</ref>

== Selected publications ==

===Books=== * ''The Psychology of Physical Symptoms''. New York: Springer, 1982. {{ISBN|978-0-387-90730-7}} * (Ed., with Daniel M. Wegner) ''Handbook of Mental Control''. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993. {{ISBN|978-0-13-379280-5}} * ''Emotion, Disclosure, and Health''. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1995. {{ISBN|978-1-55798-308-4}} * ''Opening up: The Healing Power of Confiding in Others''. New York: Morrow, 1990. Repr. ''Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions''. New York: Guilford, 1997. {{ISBN|978-1-57230-238-9}} * ''Writing to Heal: A Guided Journal for Recovering from Trauma and Emotional Upheaval''. Oakland, California: New Harbinger, 2004. {{ISBN|978-1-57224-365-1}} * ''The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us''. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011. {{ISBN|978-1-60819-480-3}}

=== Co-authored books ===

* ''Expressive Writing: Words that Heal''. Idyll Arbor, 2014. James Pennebaker; John Evans. {{ISBN|9781611580464}} * ''Opening Up by Writing It Down'', Third Edition: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain. Guilford Press, 2014. James Pennebaker, Joshua M. Smyth. {{ISBN|978-1462524921}}

===Articles=== * {{cite journal | author1 = James W. Pennebaker | author-mask = with | author2 = Sandra Klihr Beall | title = Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding of inhibition and disease | journal = Journal of Abnormal Psychology | volume = 95 | issue = 3 | year = 1986 | pages = 274–281 | url = http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Reprints/Beall1986.pdf | pmid = 3745650 | doi = 10.1037/0021-843x.95.3.274 | access-date = 2011-08-21 | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110701/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Reprints/Beall1986.pdf }} * {{cite journal | author1 = James W. Pennebaker | author-mask = with | author2 = Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser | author3 = Ronald Glaser | title = Disclosure of traumas and immune function: health implications for psychotherapy | journal = Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology | volume = 56 | issue = 2 | year = 1988 | pages = 239–245 | url = http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Reprints/Kiecolt.pdf | pmid = 3372832 | doi = 10.1037/0022-006x.56.2.239 | access-date = 2011-08-21 | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125815/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Reprints/Kiecolt.pdf }} * {{cite book | chapter = Confession, Inhibition, and Disease | volume = 22 | year = 1989 | pages = 211–244 | doi = 10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60309-3 | isbn = 978-0-12-015222-3 | publisher = Academic Press | title = Advances in Experimental Social Psychology Volume 22 | last1 = Pennebaker | first1 = James W. }} * {{cite journal|author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=David Watson |title=Health complaints, stress, and distress: exploring the central role of negative affectivity |journal=Psychological Review |volume=96 |issue=2 |date=April 1989 |pages=234–254 |doi=10.1037/0033-295X.96.2.234 |pmid=2710874 |url=http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/pennebaker/reprints/Watson&P89.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905181853/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/Pennebaker/Reprints/Watson%26P89.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-05 |citeseerx=10.1.1.307.8656 }} * {{cite journal | title = Putting stress into words: Health, linguistic, and therapeutic implications | journal = Behaviour Research and Therapy | volume = 31 | issue = 6 |date=July 1993 | pages = 539–548 | doi = 10.1016/0005-7967(93)90105-4 | pmid = 8347112 | last1 = Pennebaker | first1 = James W. }} * {{cite journal|title=Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process |journal=Psychological Science |volume=8 |issue=3 |date=May 1997 |pages=162–166 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x |url=http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Class/Psy394V/Pennebaker/Reprints/Support/Pennebaker%201997.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112123348/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Class/Psy394V/Pennebaker/Reprints/Support/Pennebaker%201997.pdf |archive-date=2011-11-12 |last1=Pennebaker |first1=James W. |s2cid=15516728 }} * {{cite journal|author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=Janel D. Seagal |title=Forming a story: The health benefits of narrative |journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology |volume=55 |issue=10 |year=1999 |pages=1243–1254 |url=http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/pennebaker/reprints/Seagal1999.pdf |pmid=11045774 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(199910)55:10<1243::AID-JCLP6>3.0.CO;2-N |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505013506/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Reprints/Seagal1999.pdf |archive-date=2012-05-05 |citeseerx=10.1.1.58.8591 }} * {{cite journal |author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=Jennifer K. Bosson |author3=William B. Swann, Jr. |title=Stalking the perfect measure of implicit self-esteem: The blind men and the elephant revisited? |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=79 |issue=4 |year=2000 |pages=631–643 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.79.4.631 |url=https://labs.la.utexas.edu/swann/files/2016/03/Stalking_Measure.PDF |citeseerx=10.1.1.371.9919 |pmid=11045743}} * {{cite journal |author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=Ewa Kacewicz |author3=Matthew Davis |author4=Moongee Jeon |author5=Arthur C. Graesser |title=Pronoun use reflects standings in social hierarchies |journal=Journal of Language and Social Psychology |volume=33 |issue=2 |year=2014 |pages=125–143 |doi=10.1177/0261927X14526856 |doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=39ef84818b83ed0326e03792e8c75adefa108746}} * {{cite journal |title=When small words foretell academic success: The case of college admissions essays |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=12 |article-number=e115844 |year=2014 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0115844 |pmid=25551217 |author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=Cindy K. Chung |author3=Joey Frazee |author4=Gary M. Lavergne |author5=David I. Beaver |doi-access=free |pmc=4281205 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...9k5844P }} * {{cite journal |title=The narrative arc: Revealing core narrative structures through text analysis |journal=Science Advances |volume=6 |issue=32 |year=2020 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aba2196 |pmid=32821822 |author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=Ryan L. Boyd |author3=Kate G. Blackburn |article-number=eaba2196 |pmc=7413736 }} * {{cite journal |title=Using large language models in psychology |journal=Nature Reviews Psychology |volume=2 |pages=688–701 |year=2023 |doi=10.1038/s44159-023-00241-5 |author1=James W. Pennebaker |author-mask=with |author2=Dorottya Demszky |author3=Diyi Yang |author4=David S. Yeager |author5=Christopher J. Bryan |author6=Margarett Clapper |author7=Susannah Chandhok |author8=Johannes C. Eichstaedt |author9=Cameron Hecht |author10=Jeremy Jamieson |author11=Meghann Johnson |author12=Michaela Jones |author13=Danielle Krettek-Cobb |author14=Leslie Lai |author15=Nirel JonesMitchell |author16=Desmond C. Ong |author17=Carol S. Dweck |author18=James J. Gross |author19=James W. Pennebaker |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53d29678e4b04e06965e9423/t/6566e06ac95b0b61f8810a99/1701240942374/2023+--+LLMs+psychology.pdf}}

==See also== *Self-concealment *Self-disclosure

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://www.psy.utexas.edu/Pennebaker James W. Pennebaker homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922045029/http://www.psy.utexas.edu/pennebaker/ |date=2012-09-22 }}, Department of Psychology, University of Texas * [http://wordwatchers.wordpress.com/ Wordwatchers: Tracking the language of public figures] * [http://www.utpsyc.org/synch/ In Synch: Language Style Matching], James Pennebaker Conglomerates at Online Research Consortium * [http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3APennebaker%2C+James+W.&qt=hot_author Works by and about James W. Pennebaker] at OCLC WorldCat * [https://web.archive.org/web/20111125202422/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/pennebaker/Reprints/ Reprints of articles by James W. Pennebaker] at Department of Psychology, University of Texas * [https://www.receptiviti.com/: Receptiviti, measuring psychology through language, an API and applied insights commercial offering]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennebaker, James W.}} Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American psychologists Category:Academics of the University of Lancashire Category:People from Midland, Texas Category:University of Texas at Austin faculty Category:Psychology educators Category:Eckerd College alumni Category:20th-century American psychologists Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences