Permission to Feel: The Power of Emotional Intelligence to Achieve Well-Being and Success

Marc Brackett’s defining work, built on 25 years of research at Yale, that argues most of us were never properly taught how to deal with our emotions. The RULER framework he presents has been implemented in thousands of schools and workplaces worldwide.

Why Start Here

Permission to Feel is Brackett’s first and most important book for a general audience. It introduces the RULER framework: Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions. Each step builds on the last, creating a structured approach to emotional literacy that anyone can learn.

What makes the book stand out is Brackett’s willingness to be personal. He opens with his own childhood experience of abuse and the uncle who first gave him “permission to feel.” This vulnerability grounds the science in lived experience and makes the framework feel human rather than clinical. The research backing is rigorous, drawing on studies conducted at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, but the writing never feels academic.

What to Expect

A warm, engaging 304-page book that combines memoir, research, and practical tools. Brackett writes with clarity and empathy, making emotional science accessible to anyone. The book works for professionals, parents, educators, and anyone wanting a better relationship with their own emotions.