Emma Levine

Emma Edelman Levine is an assistant professor of Behavioral Science and the Charles Merrill Faculty Scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She was recently recognized as a Rising Star of the Association of Psychological Science (2019).

Emma studies the psychology of altruism, trust, and ethical dilemmas. Her research seeks to understand how individuals make trade-offs between different values, and how this influences decision-making and social perception. 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 research unearths specific circumstances in which people welcome and appreciate deception, as well as circumstances in which they underestimate the benefits of honesty.