Biography

Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., is a bestselling 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, she has expertise in the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her bestselling 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 TimesThe Washington PostNPR, and CBSNews. She speaks and consults internationally for Fortune 500 companies like Google and Facebook and contributes to Harvard Business ReviewThe Washington PostPsychology Today, TIME, and 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 Mattersand 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.

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Videos

The Happiness Track | Emma Seppälä | Talks at Google

Happiness Job Hacks

The Power & Science of Social Connection: Emma Seppälä TEDx

How I Manage My Stress

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS

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BUILDING HIGH-QUALITY CONNECTIONS

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BUILDING HIGH-QUALITY CONNECTIONS

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Booksby Emma Seppälä

Sovereign: A science-backed path to reclaiming your SOVEREIGNTY

The Happiness track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success

The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science

Blog Posts

Yellow September Lessons That Go Beyond the Applause

Yellow September reminds us that mental health conversations at events can save lives—here's how to create meaningful connections beyond applause.

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Stage Fright Doesn’t Have to End Your Speaking Career (This Mentalist Proves It)

Learn how mentalist Christophe Fox transformed paralyzing stage fright into Fortune 100 CEO presentations through preparation and mindset.

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Events Under Pressure: How One Planner Won an Emmy with Six Days Notice

Discover how Emmy-winning event planner Gabriella Robuccio conquered live events with just six days' notice using boundaries and vulnerability.

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Why Relatable Leaders Build Stronger Teams (And How You Can Become One)

Discover engagement strategies fom expert Rachel DeAlto on how leaders can become more relatable and transform their workforce for the better.

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Why Top Event Planners Are Booking Storytellers (You Should Too)

Discover why storytellers create lasting impact at events through wonder, not just applause—transform your audience experience today.

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AI Networking Strategies That Actually Work in 2025 with Marketing Legend Seth Godin

Learn AI networking secrets from marketing expert Seth Godin on building peer circles that outperform traditional expert models.

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