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Whether we’re listening to Bach or the blues, our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the melodies make us feel, according to new research from UC Berkeley. For instance, Mozart’s jaunty Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major is most often associated with bright yellow and orange, whereas his somber Requiem in D minor is more likely to be linked to dark, bluish gray.
Social science archive
In mice, having multiple partners breeds more robust immune system
September 5, 2012: UC Berkeley post-doc Matthew MacManes studied two related species of deer mice – one monogamous, the other promiscuous – and found that mice with more sexual partners had more robust immune systems. This was reflected in their ability to ward off bacterial infections, but also in their genes: they had more diversity in the genes that control the immune system than did the other mice.
Affluent people less likely to reach out to others in times of chaos, study suggests
August 30, 2012: Crises are said to bring people closer together. But a new UC Berkeley study suggests that while the have-nots reach out to one another in times of trouble, the wealthy are more apt to find comfort in material possessions.
Where are the ‘job creators’? A Labor Day conversation
August 30, 2012: Where you live has a lot to do with whether you’re employed, and how, says Enrico Moretti, author of The New Geography of Jobs. The UC Berkeley economist shares insights on employment, salaries, tax cuts and growing inequalities based on location.
Intense prep for law school admission test alters brain structure
August 22, 2012: Intense prep courses for tests like the Law School Admission Test are popular for good reason: They can improve scores significantly. Now UC Berkeley neuroscientists have revealed the underlying result of such preparation: the brain’s neural connections change measurably, suggesting a bolstering of interconnections among reasoning areas of the brain.
Geoffrey Nunberg’s new book: ‘The Ascent of the A-Word’
August 21, 2012: “We idolize jerks. This is the era of bnoxiousness — and the most arrogant and nasty have somehow become the most successful,” writes UC Berkeley School of Information professor Geoffrey Nunberg in his new book, “The Ascent of the A-Word.” Salon.com has posted excerpts online.
Girls with ADHD more prone to self-injury, suicide as they enter adulthood
August 14, 2012: Girls with ADHD, and their families, often look forward to a decline in visible symptoms, such as fidgety or disruptive behavior, as they mature. However, new UC Berkeley findings caution that, as they enter adulthood, girls with histories of ADHD often nternalize their struggles and feelings of failure – a development that can manifest in self-injury and even attempted suicide.
New study links LA Unified’s new schools to elementary student performance benefits
August 14, 2012: The Los Angeles Unified School District’s ambitious construction of 131 new schools over the last decade has shrunk severely overcrowded campuses, giving elementary students (but not high schoolers) a major academic boost, according to a new study.
Why are people overconfident so often? It’s all about social status
August 13, 2012: Overconfidence helps people attain social status, but it can negatively affect their performance and decision-making, according to a new study co-authored by Cameron Anderson, associate professor of business. “Displays of confidence are given an inordinate amount of weight,” he says.
State education chief unveils report to guide new generation of California schools
July 25, 2012: California should refocus on updating and replacing aging school buildings with schools designed to be more environmentally friendly and better suited to the needs of the next generation of students, according to a new UC Berkeley report released today by the top state schools chief.
Linguists advise Democrats to talk the moral high ground
July 23, 2012: Two UC Berkeley linguists look at political messaging 101 and the difference between Republicans and Democrats.
Disrespect in politics: Is civility possible?
July 13, 2012: Goldman School Dean Henry Brady discusses the trajectory of — and need for — civility in politics.
Bancroft Library’s Regional Oral History Office looks for Bay Bridge accounts that span the years
July 9, 2012: Interviewers at the Bancroft Library’s Regional Oral History Office (ROHO) are betting there are just as many cool stories to tell about the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as about its colorful cousin.
Haas prof reports on the advantage of being first
July 5, 2012: New research finds that, when making choices, people consistently prefer the options that come first: first in line, first college to offer acceptance, first salad on the menu. A paper on these findings — coauthored by Dana Carney, assistant professor of management at the Haas School of Business — appears in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.
Hearst Museum to close temporarily for transformation
June 30, 2012: An extensive redesign of UC Berkeley’s Hearst Museum of Anthropology means a temporary closure starting July 1; reopening is scheduled for 2014.
Media Advisory: Berkeley experts to assess court rulings on Affordable Care Act
June 27, 2012:
UC Berkeley experts will review the high court’s ACA actions in a special panel on Monday.
Memo to Reporters: Campus experts look to London Olympics
June 27, 2012:
Campus experts show the Olympics involve much more than summer games.
Jeffrey Edleson named to head Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare
June 21, 2012: A leading authority on domestic violence who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley in 1974, Edleson is set to return to campus as dean, effective Aug. 1.
Q&A: Alison Gopnik on babies and learning
June 20, 2012: Best-selling author Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology, discusses her research and UC Berkeley’s long history of focusing on how children learn. She and colleagues recently formed the Center for Developmental Cognitive Science to model the next generation of artificial intelligence on principles gleaned from children’s ability to learn rapidly, explore and reason
Distinguished rural sociologist of 2012: Louise Fortmann
June 11, 2012: The Rural Sociological Society has named Louise Fortmann, a professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, as the 2012 Distinguished Rural Sociologist.
California poll by IGS shows new open primary ballot boosts moderate candidates 
June 5, 2012: The new “top two” ballot used in California’s primary election today (Tuesday, June 5) appears to give moderate candidates in state races a 6-7 percent boost compared to the traditional, more restricted ballot, according to preliminary results of a new study by the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies
Freecycling has viral effect on community spirit and generosity, study shows
May 29, 2012: Reinforcing that the best things in life are free, a new UC Berkeley study shows that online freebie-exchange communities such as “Freecycle” and “Couchsurfing” foster greater team spirit among their members than do cash-for-goods websites.
What makes some students happy? Check out their videos 
May 21, 2012: Students in Professor Keltner’s “Human Happiness” class produced short videos this spring on what makes them happy. A panel of judges named, as first-place winner, “Bill’s Story,” about a paper doll who learns about the relative value of wealth, status and social connections.
Public policy Dean Henry Brady promotes election polling to make more voices heard
May 15, 2012: UCTV’s “Prime Vote” features Henry Brady’s video commentary, Don’t Hang Up! Why Voters Should Respond to Pollsters,”as he makes a case fo folks to stay on the line and make their opinions heard, especially in an electoral season increasingly dominated by rich donors and highly paid lobbyists.
Noted classical archaeologist Crawford Greenwalt dies
May 10, 2012: Exploring the history and culture of the ancient city of Sardis in Turkey was a passion of classical archaeologist Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr., who died on May 4.
Berkeley Ph.D. wins top sociology prize for dissertation on sex work in Vietnam
May 9, 2012: Kimberly Hoang, who earned her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in 2011, has won the American Sociological Association’s “best dissertation” award for her dissertation on sex work in Vietnam.
English student going to Cannes Film Festival to serve on jury
May 7, 2012: Graduate student Ryan Lattanzio is heading to the Cannes Film Festival, where he’ll help select the winner of the “Visionary Award,” for a fledgling independent filmmaker.
From the factory to the academy, tracking ‘real America’
May 4, 2012: Even for a labor economist, Sylvia Allegretto, a co-founder of UC Berkeley’s Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics, took a distinctly working-class route to a career in academia.
Highly religious people are less motivated by compassion than are non-believers
April 30, 2012: “Love thy neighbor” is preached from many a pulpit. But new research from UC Berkeley suggests the devoutly religious are less motivated by compassion when helping a stranger than are atheists, agnostics and less religious people.
Crawford Greenewalt receives prestigious award for work at site of ancient city of Sardis
April 26, 2012: This year’s Bandelier Award for Public Service to Archaeology goes to a UC Berkeley classics professor emeritus, for his decades-long work exploring the ancient city of Sardis, capital of the ancient empire of Lydia.
Cal students “Spread the Word” at Richmond High with college-going help
April 26, 2012: UC Berkeley student volunteers will introduce 90 Richmond High teens to campus Friday, culminating a yearlong effort to help these local students navigate a path to college.
