Communicating to a Broader Audience Posted on February 28, 2008 Peter Salovey (bio) suggests that bringing research into public discourse is a societal good and a professional responsibility.

I have never written my own book completely dedicated toward a mass audience, you might say. I've never written a mass-market paperback. But I would have no problem with anybody else who does, and if I weren't a Dean of Yale College at the moment and had more time, I might think about writing something like that. I think psychology has, in a kind of paradox, has said, "We don't do that kind of thing," but then has complained when other people who don't have the research background, who are uncritical do it for us. So I'm very pleased with the kinds of books that are starting to come out from the most rigorous psychological scientists, but written for the general public.

And this summer I read Dan Gilbert's book on Stumbling on Happiness. It think that's a great example of a fabulous and fun and well written book that is quite true to the research on subjective well-being coming out of psychology, coming out of economics for that matter. I think books written by Malcolm Gladwell that bring psychology to a general public do our field a service. I think people who've done that in social psychology historically, the Elliot Aronsons, the Bob Cialdinis, I think they have helped the general public understand that we have something to offer.

We can do research that actually informs decisions that a policymaker or somebody trying to promote a positive good for society might use. I think having some, having application in mind while one does research also informs one’s teaching and makes one a better teacher. So I actually think it is our responsibility to communicate to the larger world.

I should also say that I've accepted an awful lot of funding from taxpayers over the last 20 years, and while I think it's my responsibility to figure out what the important problems are, I also think it's my responsibility to communicate our findings to a broader audience than just my field. I feel that responsibility to the people who fund the research.

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