Shelley E. Taylor

Shelley Elizabeth Taylor was born in 1946 in Mt. Kisco, New York. She did her undergraduate work at Connecticut College where she showed an early penchant for psychology. She went on to Yale University for her Ph.D. and was an assistant and associate professor at Harvard prior to moving to the University of California, Los Angeles, as a Distinguished Research Professor. Her focus is on socioemotional resources/positive illusions, early nurturance/risky families, culture and social support, "tend and befriend" positive social relationships, and vulnerability to financial fraud.  

Throughout her prolific career she has authored over 350 journal articles, chapters, and books. She has been a leading figure in social psychology, contributed several prominent theories, and was at the forefront of many areas of research—including nurturing the now-vibrant subfields of social cognition and health psychology. Shelley has garnered numerous professional honors including the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association, the William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science, the Donald Campbell Award in Social Psychology, and the APA's Lifetime Achievement Award. She is an inductee of the Institute of Medicine and the United States National Academy of Sciences.