Martin Seligman

Martin Seligman is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Positive Psychology Center. He is widely known for his early research on “learned helplessness” and for founding the positive psychology movement, and he served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998. His name appears in correspondence among the materials released by the U.S. Department of Justice; on January 30, 2026, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a release that Britannica’s timeline describes as comprising “some 3,000,000 pages, 2,000 videos, and about 180,000 images,” characterized as the last major release of documents from the department (Britannica).

According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, which reviewed the documents in a February 23, 2026 article by Ethan Sun, Seligman said he first met Jeffrey Epstein at a “Billionaire’s Dinner” hosted by the Edge Foundation in 2004. The released emails show Epstein referencing Seligman over the following years: in a 2009 message Epstein called him a “core participant” in proposed academic meetings, and in a 2010 exchange Epstein wrote, “Marty has been at my ranch … he is great.” The same reporting notes that Seligman attended a two-day seminar on evolution at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch in either 2006 or 2007, which Seligman described as “highly technical and about the mathematics of evolutionary theory” (The Daily Pennsylvanian).

In statements to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Seligman disputed claims that Epstein had funded his work, saying, “Jeffrey Epstein never funded my research or the Positive Psychology Center directly or indirectly.” He distanced himself from any closer association, stating, “I have never had a personal relationship with Epstein and had no contact of any kind with him after 2007,” and, when asked about Epstein’s interest in him, “I have no idea what he wanted.” Asked about eugenics-related discussions attributed to Epstein, Seligman said, “I was never involved in such a conversation and I only heard of this bizarre notion recently in the press.” The publication reported that Seligman has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or his crimes (The Daily Pennsylvanian).

Is Martin Seligman in the Epstein files?

Yes. Martin Seligman’s name appears in correspondence within the released Epstein documents, in which Epstein referenced him as a contact and described him visiting his New Mexico ranch, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian’s February 23, 2026 review of the files. Seligman has confirmed meeting Epstein at a 2004 dinner and attending an academic seminar at the ranch in 2006 or 2007, but he has stated that he had no personal relationship with Epstein, no contact after 2007, and that Epstein never funded his research. Being named in or referenced within the documents is not evidence of wrongdoing, and the reporting states that Seligman has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or his crimes (The Daily Pennsylvanian).

Evidence

These passages come from the Epstein records released by the U.S. Department of Justice (Jan. 30, 2026), reviewed by The Daily Pennsylvanian, with our annotations connecting each to the claims this profile makes. Read the originals via the link beneath the panel.

Read the originals: DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release) ↗

Documents

Primary-source records that reference Martin Seligman. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Seligman says he had no personal relationship with Epstein and no contact after 2007, and reporting states he has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release) — The Department of Justice’s January 30, 2026 release of Epstein records includes the emails that reference Seligman, in which Epstein described him as a “core participant” in proposed academic meetings (2009) and wrote that “Marty has been at my ranch … he is great” (2010). The Daily Pennsylvanian reviewed these documents in a February 23, 2026 report. Seligman says Epstein never funded his research.