Behavioral Science PhD Student Graelin Mandel

Background

Graelin graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the Joseph Wharton Scholars Program. At Wharton, Graelin conducted research at Dr. Katy Milkman and Dr. Angela Duckworth’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG), Dr. Adam Grant’s Impact Lab, and Dr. Michael Platt’s Platt Labs, studying behavior change strategies, organizational dynamics, and group decision-making.  

Before joining Booth, Graelin spent several years as a digital product manager. She worked most recently at The Farmer’s Dog as a Retention Product Manager, where she launched experiments applying behavioral science to improve customer retention. Prior to that, Graelin was a Growth Product Manager at Marcus Invest by Goldman Sachs, where she helped launch a digital investing app for mass market consumers.

Research Interests

Graelin is interested in positive behavior change strategies, and work motivation and success. A key focus is how environments – digital, social, and physical  – can help build and sustain motivation and effort over time in individuals, workers, and consumers. 

Selected Publications & Presentations

Kirgios, E.L., Mandel, G., Park, Y., Milkman, K.L., Gromet, D., Kay, J., Duckworth, A. (2020). “Teaching Temptation Bundling to Boost Exercise: A Field Experiment.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 161, 20-35.

Mandel, G. (2020). “What Happens When You Let the Hunger Games Loose? An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling as a Behavior Change for Good Strategy in the StepUp Program.” Joseph Wharton Scholars. Available at https://repository.upenn.edu/joseph_wharton_scholars/82