Rob Henderson is the author of
Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class. He writes about human nature, psychology, social class, TV shows, movies, political and social divisions, and more.
He is perhaps most known for pioneering the concept of "luxury beliefs," a term he coined to describe a new way of understanding the American status system.
Henderson grew up in foster homes in California. After working as a busboy, a dishwasher, and supermarket bagger, he joined the Air Force at the age of 17. Most of his enlistment was spent abroad, stationed in Europe and deployed in the Middle East.
Once described as “self-made” by
The New York Times, Henderson then obtained a B.S. in Psychology from Yale (thanks to the G.I. Bill) and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Cambridge (St. Catharine’s College), where he studied as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Henderson is a founding faculty fellow at UATX and a columnist at
The Free Press, and has written for
The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, and
The Boston Globe, among other outlets. He has also appeared on several podcasts including
Honestly with Bari Weiss,
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, and
Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson.
