Tara Well

Tara Well, Ph.D. is an associate professor of psychology at Barnard College of Columbia University, where she has taught courses in Personality Psychology, Health Psychology, and the Psychology of Leadership for over 20 years. Her research on motivation, perception, and cognition has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and has appeared in top psychology journals.

Dr. Well’s current research centers on mirrors and human reflections—exploring how we see ourselves and others. She developed a mirror-based meditation program designed to help individuals manage their attention and emotions. Her 2019 TEDx Talk, "What Mirror Meditation Can Teach You," highlights this work, and her book, Mirror Meditation: The Power of Neuroscience and Self-Reflection to Overcome Self-Criticism, Gain Confidence, and See Yourself with Compassion, was published in June 2022 and has been translated into six languages.

Dr. Well is also the author of The Clarity, an online platform with over 2.8 million readers. She regularly writes about topics related to self-awareness, self-compassion, emotional resilience, meditation, leadership, and the psychological impact of appearance and well-being, including psychodermatology.

Her media appearances include The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, NBC Nightly News, ABC Nightline, and more than 100 media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Forbes. She has also been featured in the award-winning film Decoding Beauty and podcasts like The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman.

Beyond academia, Dr. Well collaborates with major companies in the health and beauty industry and works with national and international organizations. Her recent projects explore the mental health impacts of beauty products and cosmetic procedures, the psychology of visibility in social and professional settings, using self-awareness to reduce stress and build emotional resilience, and the role of attention and motivation in mindful media consumption.