Press Kit & Assets

Full Bio: Melissa Pigott, Ph.D. — Director of Research, Magnus Research Consultants, Inc., Pompano Beach, FL.

My parents gave me my first etiquette book when I was a child. This gift was the genesis of a life-long interest, including formal etiquette training as a teenager. My fascination with etiquette melded into my higher education, resulting in a 40+ career as a PhD social psychologist. I’ve taken the core foundation of etiquette to a higher step in this book by explaining the reasons why it’s important for people to show gratitude and treat each other with kindness and respect.

I’ve encountered a vast number of situations that required me to use social psychology and etiquette training to navigate complex social situations. Clients have included leading national physicians, attorneys, insurance executives, engineers, and other professionals who rely on me to help them become a role model in their business sector and to say and do the right things in their professional lives.

As a nationally recognized “trial consultant,” I travel extensively to provide professional advice to my clients – and their clients. After years of fruitless searches for reference material on the interplay between social psychology and etiquette, I decided to put my expertise in this book to help others. My keen ability to see connections between things often goes unnoticed by other people, who perceive many actions as unrelated.

An “Aha!” moment came when contemplating a topic for my master’s thesis that involved the application of an aspect of cognitive psychology to the study of eyewitness memory. I expanded my research in this area in my doctoral dissertation by conducting a field experiment that remains, decades later, the only investigation of its kind. My expertise became acknowledged by clients who valued my view of behavior in a new light, allowing me to relate social psychology and etiquette in ways not ever recognized before. My leadership role unveils my strength in helping other people understand situations in which they find themselves. I have published numerous articles in leading psychology journals and authored three books, including an Instructor’s Manual and a Study Guide for a Social Psychology textbook.

On a personal level, I’m married to my wonderful, supportive husband, who is also my business partner. We’ve owned and operated our consulting business for over 30 years. As a 4th generation Floridian, I enjoy our Southern environment, live music events (particularly rock concerts), and I play bass guitar. And, of course, I love The Beatles and cats!