Marcus Butts

Professor @SMUCox | People analytics expert | Aspiring best husband and dad who studies the daily #worklife interface and #relationaldynamics at work

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

And of course…it would go well with men’s varsity lacrosse @SMULacrosse

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Hmmm…there is now a hole in women’s gymnastics in the Midwest. Perfect opportunity @SMUMustangs ! 🐴🆙 https://t.co/Fvt48tUGup

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

❗️❗️❗️ (said in my loud fatherly tone)

[Dr Danish @operationdanish]

We now have evidence that gentle parenting doesn’t work.

Here’s an uncomfortable truth about parenting no one wants to say out loud:

The data is not kind to gentle parenting.

According to teenagers, strict curfews. strict bedtimes, screen limits, device drop off times, dedicated homework blocks, and sleepover restrictions IMPROVE higher relationship quality.

And yes, parenting difficulty goes up.

Of course it does. Leadership is harder than appeasement.

For the past decade we have been sold a watered down, Instagram friendly version of “gentle parenting” that often collapses into boundary avoidance, endless negotiation and emotional processing without enforcement. Parents terrified of saying no because they do not want to rupture connection.

But connection without authority is not connection. It is dependency.

When parents impose structure, the relationship improves.

Teenagers report better parent child relationship quality in homes with curfews and rules. Younger kids report better relationships in homes with screen limits and bedtimes. Even device drop off times correlate positively.

Why?

Because structure is not cruelty. Structure is love made visible.

A bedtime says: your brain matters more than your entertainment.

A screen limit says: your dopamine system is not fully developed and I will guard it until it is.

A curfew says: your safety matters more than your social standing.

That is not authoritarianism. That is caring.

Boundaries create friction. Friction creates growth. The parent absorbs the short term discomfort so the child does not pay the long term cost.

Children do not experience well calibrated limits as rejection. They experience them as stability. The human brain craves predictability. Predictability reduces anxiety. Reduced anxiety strengthens attachment.

That is why relationship quality goes up.

Notice something else in the data. The strongest effects are around time structure. Bedtime. Homework. Devices. Outside play. These are environmental constraints. They scaffold executive function.

The winning formula is not tyranny.

It is high warmth plus high structure.

The modern failure mode is high warmth plus low structure. That is just abdication of responsibility wrapped in empathy.

Children need leadership, not negotiation. They need adults who can tolerate their anger. They need boundaries that do not move every time emotions spike. They need someone whose prefrontal cortex is fully myelinated.

The harder path produces the stronger bond.

Because when a child feels that someone is strong enough to hold the line, they relax. And relaxed nervous systems build durable relationships.

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

@SMUBasketball Being watched closely by Miller

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

So glad this work is finally out there! Great research insights for those of you using social media on a daily basis. @SMUCox @SMU

[Cox Business Insights @SMUCoxKnows]

New research out of Cox on the impact of Social Media for employees during their workday by @MarcusButts #CoxKnows

https://t.co/bkkyvM762R

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Had a great time with the Cox EMBAs in BA! I’m sorry I got sick and couldn’t participate in everything!

[SMU Cox School of Business @SMUCox]

Last month, our EMBA students were immersed in Buenos Aires’ business scene with company visits, service learning & cultural experiences (tango, anyone?). This journey built global leadership skills for today’s world. Explore the EMBA program: https://t.co/uJ9Z21ZURp #SMUCox

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Here’s the next HR roundtable meeting for our members!

[Cox Business Insights @SMUCoxKnows]

Come join us Aug 7 for our next @SMUCox @SMUCoxExecEd CHRO roundtable meeting with Lorea Seidel from @PerotMuseum to learn new HR insights!

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

It's a new day @SMU and @SMUCox. New prez @JCHartzell , new provost @rdmersey , and new Cox dean. Very exciting times. #PonyUpDallas

[Jay Hartzell @JCHartzell]

Feeling exhilarated after breakfast with almost 800 of my new @SMU “family” from our faculty and staff! I’ve already been struck by the passion our people have for this university and our students - it’s truly inspiring, and this is just the beginning!

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Fantastic summary of our recent work-life research with the team of @ekonkark @chrisbarnes @chris24barnes and @ProfASGabriel . So many insights for modern work! https://t.co/1K8bKLsjfC

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

In my @SMUCox MBA class, we discuss the benefits of colocating for team cohesion, trust, and beneficial brainstorming, but who is to say some of those aspects can't be structured to still allow for WFH to survive. All or nothing seems archaic. https://t.co/K8rnMKXnka

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

...and now we also have a new provost that will work closely with our new Dean. Lots of new, but fantastic, change on the horizon for @SMU and @SMUCox

[SMU @SMU]

Rachel Davis Mersey has been named Executive Vice President and Provost of SMU, beginning June 1, 2025. Please join us in welcoming her to the Hilltop!

Learn more: https://t.co/3e8cmkdE2u

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

It's been a minute. Cox got a new Dean from a pool of fantastic candidates. https://t.co/VXgNQy4xCE

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Come join me at our @SMUCoxExecEd event next week!

[Cox Business Insights @SMUCoxKnows]

Our @SMUCox CHRO Forum is coming soon (March 27). If you are the highest ranking HR professional of your firm, you should be there! Hear thought leaders and network with fellow HR Executives. If not a member, reach out to Sheri Moore [email protected] to join us.

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

@dallasnews Next up for the flashy SMU hire: Dean, Cox School of Business https://t.co/OZ6TwZd1iL

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

@JCHartzell @SMU @SMUCox @SMUCoxKnows @SMUCoxExecEd Now, it would be great if @JCHartzell and @SMU go out and "shake the trees" to scoop a sitting dean elsewhere for @SMUCox. Should be many deans out there clamoring to be a part of such exciting times. #PonyUp https://t.co/OZ6TwZd1iL

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Welcome @JCHartzell ! Great move by @SMU and couldn't have been a better hire for @SMUCox to keeping pushing our b-school forward. #PonyUp @SMUCoxKnows @SMUCoxExecEd

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

@EkonkarKaur @chris24barnes and @ProfASGabriel made this research project such a delight: https://t.co/yATzRXRrOD

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

Great job @EkonkarKaur @chris24barnes @ProfASGabriel on our impactful theory work in the work-nonwork domain that is catching 🔥 !!!

[OOIR @ObserveIR]

Trending in #Management:
https://t.co/dBiraLqrz1

1) Reactions to leader leniency (@JAPeditorcorner)

2) Computationally intensive social media research

3) Transiting Between (Non-)Work Domains

4) Ethnic‐based score differences in HE

5) Salary comparisons & employee withdrawal

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

❤️

[Cox Business Insights @SMUCoxKnows]

New academic year full of @SMUCoxKnows insights and a new shiny Cox building to go along with them!

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

@sekoubermiss please add to your distinguished Google calendar. TY!

[Marcus Butts @MarcusButts]

@AoMParties can you add @SMUCox Southern Methodist University's Cox Management, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship (MSE) Department party to your list: Sunday, August 11th 5-7 PM at Loew's Chicago (Streeterville Social, 3rd Floor)? Thank you!