Skip to main content

Cornell University

Dr. Joyce Brothers, Mother of Media Psychology

Start Date: September 22, 2023
Start Time: 5:00 am
All Day Event? Yes
Location: Hirshland Exhibition Gallery, Carl A. Kroch Library

Come to this exhibit highlighting the life and career of Dr. Joyce Brothers, one of the most prolific professionals and celebrities of the last century!

No matter your age, you’ve likely encountered at some point in your life, whether you watched her television shows, listened to her advice on the radio, read her columns in Good Housekeeping, or spotted her in one of her innumerable cameo and game show appearances.

A Cornell alumna, Dr. Brothers was omnipresent in American media for over 50 years. A natural-born entertainer, she was first and foremost a mental health professional, often referred to as “the mother of media psychology,” who sought to do the most good for the largest number of people. The professional advice she offered to people around the country in the comfort of their own living rooms helped normalize therapy and the public discussion of mental health once deemed too private for broadcast television. Dr. Brothers graduated from Cornell University in 1947 and began donating her material to the Cornell archives in 1987.

This exhibit was made possible through the generous support of the Stephen E. ’58 MBA ’59 and Evalyn Edwards ’60 Milman Exhibition Fund, with additional contributions from the Brothers family.