Emma Levine

Biography

Emma Edelman Levine studies interpersonal trust and ethical decision-making. Her main stream of research investigates the tension between honesty and benevolence. Many of our most common and difficult ethical dilemmas involve balancing honesty and benevolence. We routinely face this conflict in our personal lives, when deciding how to communicate with friends and family members, and in our professional lives, when deciding how to deliver difficult news and critical feedback. Honesty and benevolence also conflict during some of our most demanding and emotional ethical decisions. For example, when healthcare professionals communicate information to sick and elderly individuals, they must strike a delicate balance between providing hope and care, and communicating honestly. Using a variety of research methods, in both the laboratory and the field, Levine studies how individuals navigate this tension. Her second stream of research examines when and why individuals engage in prosocial behaviors, and how they give credit to others for their good deeds.  

Research Interest

Levine’s research has been featured in several publications including the Journal of Marketing Research, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Levine earned both a BA (philosophy, politics, and economics) and a BS (economics) from the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she holds a PhD from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to her PhD studies at Wharton, Levine worked for Procter and Gamble.