James Maas
Encyclopedia
James Maas is an American social psychologist
, professor at Cornell University
, and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. He is best known for his work in the field of sleep
research, specifically the relationship between sleep and performance. He coined the term "power nap
" and wrote the best-selling book Power Sleep. He holds a B.A. from Williams College
and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell
.
Maas has produced numerous film specials on sleep research for PBS, BBC
, and others.
For his teaching, Maas has received the American Psychological Association
's Distinguished Teaching Award and Cornell's Clark Award for Distinguished Teaching.
For over forty years, he has taught Psychology 101 at Cornell. The class has achieved a "near-mythical status" and often has an enrollment of nearly 1600 students, making it one of the largest classes in the country. The class size requires a large venue, Bailey Hall, the university's concert hall. Since he began teaching, he has instructed over 50,000 students.
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
, professor at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. He is best known for his work in the field of sleep
Sleep
Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...
research, specifically the relationship between sleep and performance. He coined the term "power nap
Power nap
A power nap is a short sleep which terminates before the occurrence of deep sleep or slow-wave sleep , intended to quickly revitalize the subject. The expression was coined by Cornell University social psychologist James Maas.-Characteristics:...
" and wrote the best-selling book Power Sleep. He holds a B.A. from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
Maas has produced numerous film specials on sleep research for PBS, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and others.
For his teaching, Maas has received the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
's Distinguished Teaching Award and Cornell's Clark Award for Distinguished Teaching.
For over forty years, he has taught Psychology 101 at Cornell. The class has achieved a "near-mythical status" and often has an enrollment of nearly 1600 students, making it one of the largest classes in the country. The class size requires a large venue, Bailey Hall, the university's concert hall. Since he began teaching, he has instructed over 50,000 students.