Michael Inzlicht

Michael Inzlicht is a social and cogntive psychologist, working as a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, with a cross-appointment in the Rotman School of Management and as Research Lead at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology & Society. Recognized as among the top 1% of most-cited psychologists in the world (2022-2025), his research examines the paradoxes of human motivation, particularly [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/abs/pii/S0065260125000127 why people both avoid and find meaning in mental effort], and how [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661323002899 artificial intelligence] and digital technologies are reshaping behavior. His influential work on self-control has [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661313002945 challenged traditional models] by examining its emotional and motivational foundations, questioning whether self-control is truly a limited resource.

Inzlicht's current work focuses on AI empathy, showing that [https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00182-6 third-party evaluators often perceive AI-generated empathetic responses as more compassionate] than human responses, including from expert crisis responders. His research on the [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661318300202 effort paradox] explores why people find meaning in cognitively demanding activities despite their costs. He has also pioneered work on [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-20830-001 empathy avoidance], demonstrating that empathy is cognitively costly and often actively avoided, and on how [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39158465/ rapid content switching on digital platforms] increases boredom rather than alleviating it.

In the early 2000s, his research on [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9280.00272 stereotype threat] demonstrated how environmental characteristics could affect academic performance of stereotyped groups, though he later [https://www.speakandregret.michaelinzlicht.com/p/revisiting-stereotype-threat?r=2scefo questioned the replicability of this work]. His earlier work also explored self-control, cognitive control, and executive function using interdisciplinary methods combining neuroimaging, reaction time measurement, and behavioral techniques.

Inzlicht is a vocal advocate for open science reform. He has publicly [https://michaelinzlicht.com/getting-better/2016/2/29/reckoning-with-the-past expressed doubts about the replicability of his own past work], including research on ego depletion and stereotype threat. He co-hosts the podcast [https://www.fourbeers.com/ Two Psychologists Four Beers] and writes the Substack newsletter [https://www.speakandregret.michaelinzlicht.com/ Speak Now Regret Later]. Provided by Wikipedia