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, his research examines the paradoxes of human motivation, particularly , and how and digital technologies are reshaping behavior. His influential work on self-control has 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 than human responses, including from expert crisis responders. His research on the explores why people find meaning in cognitively demanding activities despite their costs. He has also pioneered work on , demonstrating that empathy is cognitively costly and often actively avoided, and on how increases boredom rather than alleviating it.
In the early 2000s, his research on demonstrated how environmental characteristics could affect academic performance of stereotyped groups, though he later . 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 , including research on ego depletion and stereotype threat. He co-hosts the podcast and writes the Substack newsletter .

Selected Awards & Honours