Biography

Professor Michael Joseph Beatty was born in 1949. He was raised Roman Catholic. He led an illustrious life and career spanning the heights of academia, business, and bodybuilding. He earned his doctorate (Ph.D.) from The Ohio State University in Speech Education in 1976. He also earned degrees from Central Missouri State University and the University of Missouri—St. Louis.

Most recently living in South Beach, Florida, Professor Beatty passed away February 1st 2026, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He was 76. He was surrounded in his final hours by his chosen brothers.

Professor Beatty’s scientific research was highly cited and influential in impacting our understanding of human communication, psychology, and education. Beatty authored the books Romantic Dialogue: Communication in Dating and Marriage; The Biology of Communication: A Communibiological Perspective; Biological Dimensions of Communication: Perspectives, Models and Research; and Communication and Personality: Trait Perspectives. He was the star of the book STFU: The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World by New York Times best-selling author Dan Lyons. 

Since 2007 Professor Beatty worked on the faculty at the University of Miami (UM), in Coral Gables, FL. He was Professor of Communication in the Department of Communication Studies, School of Communication, where he also served as Vice Dean, directing the graduate program. At UM he was also Professor of Psychology in the Psychology Department. Previously he was Department Chair at the University of Missouri—St. Louis, and worked on the faculty at Texas Christian University, University of Hawaii, West Virginia University, and Cleveland State University. He built a legacy of mentoring grad students who would go on to do great things in the communication discipline.

Professor Beatty authored approximately 150 articles in peer-reviewed behavioral and cognitive science journals. Much of his early scholarly work was on communication apprehension. He was also a trailblazer in the field of “communibiology,” also referred to as bio-communication theory, an intersection of communication and biology. He conducted pioneering work in applying electroencephalographic (EEG) prefrontal cortex brain-scan technology to communication phenomena.

His research ran the gamut from political communication, campaign strategy, and political marketing, to research methods, social influence, public relations, and interpersonal relational communication. For decades he was one of the most prolific researchers in communication in the world. He was ranked in the top 2 (in the late ’90s; see https://doi.org/10.1080/03637759909376471), top 3 (in the late ’90s and early 2000’s; see https://doi.org/10.1080/014633704093702030), top 5 (in the first decade of the 2000s; see https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090903293726), top 5 (in the second decade of the 2000s; see https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2012.699080), top 9 (in the early ’90s; see https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529309378930), top 16 (at the beginning of the 21st century, see https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090309388830), and top 25 (in the ’80s; see https://doi.org/10.1080/03634528909378759) most published scholars in the most prominent peer-reviewed communication journals.

He was Editor of Communication Monographs, the flagship journal of the National Communication Association, the biggest association in the discipline. He was Editor of Communication Research Reports. He was Guest Editor of Human Communication Research, flagship journal for the International Communication Association, leading a special issue on quantitative methods.

Professor Beatty worked as a marketing consultant. Corporate clients included AT&T, First National Bank of Dallas, Penn Mutual Life Insurance, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., and New York Life Insurance Co., the U.S. Army, the U.S. State Department., and the U.S. Justice Department.

Professor Beatty’s personal life was rich in wonderful activities.  Since his youth, he was an avid surfer and Judo player.  During the 1980’s he grew to become a dedicated professional bodybuilder, who carried a single digit USGA golf index. He competed in the US Open Qualifiers.  He gave of himself to his friends and the community in various forms including teaching golf, self-defense, and even lecturing on communication science and factor analysis at Joint Special Operations University.