Professor Dacher Keltner
Professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, known for research on the social functions of emotion (including compassion, awe, and power); author of books such as Born to Be Good and The Power Paradox; founding director of the Berkeley Greater Good Science Center.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Awe
The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
This book presents awe as a powerful, measurable emotion that arises when we encounter something vast and beyond our current understanding, showing through studies and anecdotes how it shrinks the sense of self, expands perspective, and promotes connection, generosity, creativity, and physical and mental health. Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary thinking, it traces awe’s roots in nature, art, music, religion, and social rituals, explains its role in forming communities and moral imagination, and offers practical ways to cultivate awe in daily life. The author also examines the darker side of awe—how it can amplify obedience, be exploited by leaders, or mute critical thinking—urging mindful cultivation rather than uncritical reverence.
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2. The Power Paradox
How We Gain and Lose Influence
Power arises from prosocial traits—empathy, generosity and emotional intelligence—but once people attain influence they often become less compassionate, more impulsive and entitled, which corrodes relationships and undermines their authority; drawing on psychological and neuroscientific research, the book explains this paradoxical cycle and offers practical ways to cultivate responsible, accountable leadership and social systems that check abuse and sustain beneficial power.
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