Paul Ekman
Paul Ekman was born on February 15th, 1934. Paul passed away November 17th, 2025 at 91 years old. Paul Ekman was born in Washington, D.C., United States. Ekman attended New York University where he received a bachelor of arts degree and Adelphi University where he received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and their master's degree.
Paul Ekman is known as a former professor of Psychology in addition to being the leading expert on facial expressions in the world. He is a former professor at the Medical School of the University of California.
He spent about a year at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute as an intern. He would then spend two years at Fort Dix, N.J., as Chief Psychologist and 1st Lieutenant, before moving to the University of California, San Francisco, where he spent more than four decades.
Paul Ekman has studied body and facial expressions since 1954, and he published his master’s thesis on the subject. He was initially influenced by ethology and semiotics, as he primarily studied gestures.
By the 1960s, he was conducting research on face-to-face emotion, in addition to cross-cultural studies of gesture and expression. His studies led him to identify seven universally expressed emotions: happiness, anger, surprise, fear, contempt, sadness, and disgust.
In 2004, he retired from the University of California after a teaching career spanning more than three decades. He translated his research into books, workshops, and training tools under The Paul Ekman Group.
In the 1985 published work
Telling Lies by Paul Ekman, the author examines how we can use a combination of body language, facial expressions, and voice tone to detect deceit.
He includes his latest findings, including methods for detecting signs of potential deception, training in microexpressions, and behavioral cues that indicate someone is lying.
He demonstrates how to distinguish between misinformation and lies, showing that even trained law enforcement personnel, such as federal agents, police, and judges, can be misled.
Ekman also offers self-instructional programs to help individuals recognize fleeting and subtle facial expressions that often reveal genuine emotions that may be hidden.
In his 1989 work,
Why Kids Lie, Dr Paul Ekman looks into why children tell all manner of lies.
From hiding facts to bragging and white lies, he explains how children become liars as they grow older. He teaches how to understand what causes children to lie and how their lies change over time. He advocates honesty rather than punishment or trickery when dealing with lying.
It is a work that provides real-life advice for parents of children of all ages.
Related Authors
Fans of Paul Ekman also enjoy these authors:
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.
- David Baldacci, author of the Amos Decker Series.
- Douglas Preston, author of the Pendergast Series.
- James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
Paul Ekman: F.A.Q
When was Paul Ekman Born?
Paul Ekman was born on February 15th, 1934.
When did Paul Ekman die?
Paul Ekman died on November 17th, 2025 at 91 years old.
Where was Paul Ekman Born?
Paul Ekman was born in Washington, D.C., United States.
What was the first book Paul Ekman wrote?
The first book written by Paul Ekman was Emotion in the Human Face, published in 1972.
What was the most recent book Paul Ekman wrote?
His most recently released work was Happinesss on May 15th, 2018.
What is the most popular book by Paul Ekman?
Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Paul Ekman book is
Telling Lies. Here are his most popular books:
- Telling Lies (10)
How many books has Paul Ekman written?
Paul Ekman has written 13 books. 1 book in the Series in Affective Science Series, 12 Non-Fiction Books.