

Michael W. Kraus
- Media Contact
- SPN Mentor
Psychologist Michael W. Kraus explores the emotional and hierarchical dynamics of human social interactions. His current research explores the behaviors and emotional states that maintain and perpetuate economic and social inequality in society. He also studies the emotional processes that allow individuals and teams to work together more effectively.
I was born and raised in Poway, California. I received my undergraduate and graduate training in social psychology from UC Berkeley. I am currently an Assistant Professor at the Yale University School of Management.
Primary Interests:
- Close Relationships
- Culture and Ethnicity
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Group Processes
- Helping, Prosocial Behavior
- Nonverbal Behavior
- Organizational Behavior
- Political Psychology
- Self and Identity
- Social Cognition
Research Group or Laboratory:
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Journal Articles:
- Kraus, M. W., Chen, S, & Keltner, D. (2011). The power to be me: Power elevates self-concept consistency and authenticity, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 974-980.
- Kraus, M. W., Huang, C., & Keltner, D. (2010). Tactile communication, cooperation, and performance: An ethological study of the NBA. Emotion, 10, 745-749.
- Kraus, M. W., Park, J. W., & Tan, J. J. X. (2017). Signs of social class: The experience of economic inequality in everyday life. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(3), 422-435.
- Kraus, M. W., Rucker, J. M., & Richeson, J. A. (2017). Americans misperceive racial economic equality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(39), 10324-10331.
- Kraus, M. W., & Tan, J. J. X. (2015). Americans overestimate social class mobility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 101-111.
- Onyeador, I. N., Daumeyer, N. M., Rucker, J. M., Duker, A., Kraus, M. W., & Richeson, J. A. (2021). Disrupting beliefs in racial progress: Reminders of persistent racism alter perceptions of past, but not current, racial economic equality, 47(5), 753-765.
- Callaghan, B., Harouni, L., Dupree, C. H., Kraus, M. W., & Richeson, J. A. (2021). Testing the efficacy of three informational interventions for reducing misperceptions of the Black-White wealth gap. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(38), e2108875118.
- Dupree, C. H., & Kraus, M. W. (2021). Psychological science is not race neutral. Perspectives on Psychological Science.
- Kraus, M. W., & Torrez, B. (2020). A psychology of power that is embedded in societal structures. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 86-90.
- Kraus, M. W., Brown, X., & Swoboda, H. (2019). Dog whistle mascots: Stereotypic Native American mascots as normative expressions of prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 84, 103810.
- Kraus, M. W., Hudson, S. T. J., & Richeson, J. A. (2022). Framing, context, and the misperception of racial economic inequality. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(1), 4-13.
- Kraus, M. W., Onyeador, I. N., Daumeyer, N. M., Rucker, J. M., & Richeson, J. A. (2019). The misperception of racial economic inequality. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(6), 899-921.
- Kraus, M. W., Torrez, B., & Hollie, L. (2022). How narratives of racial progress create barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 108-113.
- Kraus, M. W., Torrez, B., Park, J. W., & Ghayebi, F. (2019). Evidence for the reproduction of social class in brief speech. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116 (46), 22998-23003.
- Kuo, E. E., Kraus, M. W., & Richeson, J. A. (2020). High-status exemplars and the misperception of the Asian-White wealth gap. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(3), 397-405.
- Park, J. W., Vani, P., Saint-Hilaire, S., & Kraus, M. W. (2022). Disadvantaged group activists’ attitudes toward advantaged group allies in social movements. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 98, 104226.
- Tan, J. J. X., Kraus, M. W., Carpenter, N., & Adler, N. (2020). The association between objective and subjective economic standing and subjective well-being: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin 146(11), 970-1020.
- Tan, J. J. X., Kraus, M. W., Impett, E. A., & Keltner, D. (2020). Partner commitment in close relationships mitigates social class differences in subjective well-being. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(1), 16-25.
Other Publications:
- Piff, P. K., Kraus, M. W., & Keltner, D. (2018). Unpacking the inequality paradox: The psychological roots of inequality and social class. In J. Olson (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 57, 53-124.
Courses Taught:
- Global Virtual Teams
- Human Emotion
- Inside Organizations
- Managing Groups and Teams
- Personality Psychology
- Power and Politics
- Power and Politics for Executives
- Power, Status, and Influence
Michael W. Kraus
5477 Evans Hall
165 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
United States of America
- Phone: (203) 432-6034