Like Duke Ellington’s 1931 jazz standard, the human brain improvises while its rhythm section keeps up a steady beat. But when it comes to taking on intellectually challenging tasks, groups of... Read more
Hello Alumni and Friends! After four outstanding years of astute and inspiring leadership, Rich Ivry is stepping down as chair and returning to full time teaching and research. Our Department... Read more
An independent feature film, set for theatrical release this month (New York on July 15, San Francisco on July 24), dramatizes the story of a research study that recreated a prison setting in August... Read more
If you can’t tell a smile from a scowl, you’re probably not getting enough sleep. A new UC Berkeley study shows that sleep deprivation dulls our ability to accurately read facial expressions. This... Read more
Challenging the idea that addiction is hardwired in the brain, a new UC Berkeley study of mice suggests that even a short time spent in a stimulating learning environment can rewire the brain’s... Read more
Poor sleep, more common in old age, is linked to the protein implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep may be a missing piece in the Alzheimer’s disease puzzle. UC Berkeley scientists have found... Read more
New study links a gene variant with smiling and laughter. Researchers at UC Berkeley and Northwestern University have found that a gene involved in the regulation of serotonin makes some of us more... Read more
When UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner attended the Hollywood premiere of the new Pixar movie Inside Out – which opens Friday in theaters nationwide – he was thrilled to see children running... Read more
New study shows we can use our sense of smell not just to identify objects, but to navigate. Like homing pigeons, humans have a nose for navigation because our brains are wired to convert smells into... Read more
On May 5, 2015, the GSI Teaching and Resource Center hosted a reception to honor Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors (OGSIs). From the Department of Psychology award certificates were presented... Read more