Richard V. Reeves is a British-American social scientist and policy scholar whose work provides the primary intellectual and statistical framework for Notes on Being A Man. As a former senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, Reeves has become a leading voice in the 2020s for reframing male underachievement as a structural policy problem. His 2022 book, Of Boys and Men, is the foundational text for Galloway’s analysis, supplying the data and core concepts that underpin the book’s arguments on education, family, and labor markets.

Reeves’s influence is most evident in his formulation of “surplus value,” a concept Galloway adopts as the ultimate measure of a man’s contribution. Galloway explicitly credits Reeves as his “Yoda on this subject” (9), using Reeves’s work to argue that true masculinity is defined by giving more to society than one takes. Reeves’s research synthesizes large-scale administrative data with social science to identify disadvantages boys and men face, such as falling behind in education and withdrawing from the labor force. Galloway leverages these evidence-based findings to diagnose a widespread crisis and endorse Reeves’s programmatic solutions, including investing in vocational training and redesigning educational environments to better suit boys’ developmental timelines.

By grounding his arguments in Reeves’s non-partisan, data-driven methodology, Galloway seeks to move the conversation about masculinity away from the “culture wars” and toward practical, evidence-led debate. Reeves’s emphasis on dignity, fatherhood, and contribution provides Galloway with A Pro-Social Code of Masculinity, one that centers on responsibility and action. In this way, Reeves’s scholarship functions as the book’s intellectual scaffolding, lending academic credibility and policy heft to Galloway’s more personal and anecdotal observations.

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist and professor at NYU Stern whose work on youth mental health provides the scientific basis for Galloway’s critique of the digital age. As the author of The Anxious Generation, Haidt is a prominent figure in the debate over the effects of integrating smartphones into contemporary childhood, arguing that the “great rewiring” of social life since 2010 has directly contributed to soaring rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents. Galloway draws on Haidt’s research to substantiate his claims about the harms of “fast-dopamine” platforms like social media and to justify his behavioral prescriptions.

Throughout the book, Galloway uses Haidt’s analysis to frame device use as a public health crisis. Galloway directly cites Haidt’s central thesis that “[c]hildren today are overprotected in the real world and underprotected online” (34). This concept supports Galloway’s call for parents to adopt a “Slowpa” (slow dopamine) lifestyle for their children by delaying access to smartphones and social media while encouraging more in-person play and independence. Haidt’s work provides Galloway with the evidentiary link between technology, addiction, and poor mental health outcomes, allowing him to present his parenting advice as a response to a documented societal problem. Galloway applies Haidt’s thought in his own life with himself and his sons, and he cites advising young men to spend less time online as one of the easiest elements of his mentorship experiences.

Andrew Huberman is an American neuroscientist, a tenured professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and the host of the popular Huberman Lab podcast. He is a key figure in a modern movement of science communicators who translate complex laboratory findings into actionable health and wellness protocols for a general audience. In Notes on Being A Man, Huberman’s work provides the scientific rationale and practical structure for Galloway’s chapter on health and fitness.

Huberman’s role in the text is to bridge scientific evidence with daily practice, lending credibility to Galloway’s behavioral recommendations. Galloway specifically references Huberman’s advice to construct a simple, repeatable weekly fitness template that includes structured cardiovascular and resistance training. By incorporating protocols such as morning sunlight exposure and specific exercise programming, Galloway expands on his concept of “Slowpa,” arguing that gradual effort and change lead to long-term results, and gives readers a clear, evidence-backed path toward building physical discipline and resilience. Huberman’s contribution makes the book’s health advice both scientifically grounded and achievable for the average reader.

David Aaker, a Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, is a seminal American marketing theorist widely known as the “father” of modern branding. His work in the late 20th century helped codify key concepts like brand equity and identity, shaping the field of brand strategy for decades. For Scott Galloway, Aaker serves as both a direct mentor and an intellectual inspiration, and his influence underpins the analytical framework of Galloway’s career and writing.

Galloway’s connection to Aaker is personal and professional. He first encountered Aaker as his professor at Berkeley before Aaker joined Galloway’s brand consultancy, Prophet, as vice chairman. This relationship provides a clear lineage for Galloway’s expertise, validating his credentials through direct collaboration with a leading figure in his field. In addition, Galloway’s narrative retelling frames Prophet as an unexpected success, with Aaker initially refusing to join the firm only to later become a key member in its success. Aaker’s frameworks for evaluating and growing brands taught Galloway how to connect market dynamics to cultural and social trends, a skill he applies throughout Notes on Being A Man to diagnose the challenges facing modern men.

Raj Chetty is a prominent American economist at Harvard University and a cofounder of Opportunity Insights, known for his pioneering use of large-scale administrative data to study economic mobility. His research provides the empirical foundation for Scott Galloway’s argument that the American social contract is broken. Chetty’s landmark studies, including “The Fading American Dream,” offer stark evidence that intergenerational mobility has sharply declined, with fewer and fewer Americans out-earning their parents, reflecting the theme of A Broken Social Contract.

In Notes on Being A Man, Chetty’s data is used to quantify the systemic headwinds that Galloway argues are disproportionately affecting young men. By mapping how neighborhood and policy shape opportunity, Chetty’s work shifts the focus from individual moral failings to structural barriers. This allows Galloway to root his social commentary in rigorous economic evidence, strengthening his call for public investments in education and housing as necessary remedies for stalled mobility and diminished opportunity.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, an American physician who has served as the 19th and 21st US Surgeon General, provides official public-health validation for Scott Galloway’s concerns about youth well-being in the digital age. Murthy is significant for his 2023 advisory on social media and youth mental health, which framed the issue as a national crisis requiring urgent policy intervention.

In the book, Murthy’s official warnings about the risks of adolescent social media use bolster Galloway’s argument for stronger guardrails on tech platforms. By elevating the conversation from a matter of personal parenting choices to a collective public-health imperative, Murthy’s work reinforces Galloway’s call for product-safety standards and policy action to protect minors online.

Robert Baden-Powell was a British Army officer and educator who founded the worldwide Scouting movement in the early 20th century. His 1908 book, Scouting for Boys, outlined a program designed to instill readiness, service, and self-reliance in young men. In Notes on Being A Man, Baden-Powell appears as a historical touchstone for the kind of pro-social masculinity Galloway advocates.

Galloway invokes the Boy Scouts’ motto, “Be Prepared,” to illustrate how structured, community-based institutions can successfully channel male energy toward responsibility and discipline. Recalling his own positive experience in the Scouts, he uses Baden-Powell’s legacy to connect historical codes of conduct to his contemporary call for a renewed focus on duty and preparedness. Though Galloway does not explicitly advocate for young boys to join the Boy Scouts, he implies that joining this and similar programs has a beneficial effect on development.