James W. Pennebaker is a social psychologist and a Centennial Liberal Arts Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studies the health consequences of secrets. 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.”

In his books, Opening Up: The Healing Power of Confiding in Others (New York: Morrow, 1990) and Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions (New York: Guilford, 1997), he speaks of hardships in both childhood and adulthood, including a death of a family member, divorce, sexual and physical assault, living with someone with a substance use disorder or mentally ill parent, as well as other traumas. In his research, he assesses how extensively participants talk about these events.