Social Sciences

Don’t worry. Study shows you’re likely a more creative writer than ChatGPT. For now.

October 28, 2024
By Jason Pohl

Imagine you decide to write a short story about a protagonist who creates an artificial human and then falls in love with it. What gender is your protagonist? What about the artificial human? Would you write a moving love story? A cautionary dystopian tale?

Would your story be more compelling than one written by ChatGPT?

Likely yes, says Nina Beguš, a researcher and lecturer in UC Berkeley’s School of Information and...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/10/28/dont-worry-study-shows-youre-likely-a-more-…

In some people, psychopathy goes undetected. A recent UC Berkeley study offers a solution

October 30, 2024
By Anne Brice

In a June 2024 study, UC Berkeley psychology professor Keanan Joyner and his colleagues found that by using a combination of methods tailored to the multidimensional nature of psychopathy, we could transform how we identify and understand this personality disorder. “I think that it goes toward having a functional and positive society,” Joyner said. “Our collaboration is the substance of what makes humans so wonderful as a species.”

This year on Berkeley Voices, we’re exploring the theme of transformation. In eight episodes, we’ll explore how transformation — of ideas, of...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/10/28/berkeley-voices-transformation-episode-1-ps…

Can you ‘undo’ political polarization? Left and right might be closer than we think, study finds

November 4, 2024
By Robin Buller, The Guardian

You know that uncle whose political takes threaten to turn family gatherings into food fights? Don’t decline his Thanksgiving invitation just yet. When it comes to support for democracy, left and right in America are much closer than you might think.

As a historic US election approaches, both sides see each other as working to upend democracy. But it’s our assumptions about our political opponents – rather than their actual views – that drive polarization, according to new research. And if ...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/03/reducing-political-polarization-…

UC Berkeley's Script Encoding Initiative wins $1.3M in grants for advancing digital inclusion

November 7, 2024
By Aubrey Spowart

Anushah Hossain

The Script Encoding Initiative (SEI), led by researchers Anushah Hossain and Deborah Anderson in the Linguistics Department, recently received grants from the Internet Society Foundation ($300,000) and the Mellon Foundation ($1M) for research on digital inclusion of diverse writing systems. SEI aims to increase the number of writing systems...

UC Berkeley Economics and Public Policy Prof. Hilary Hoynes discusses her expansive work on California public policy

November 20, 2024
By Jessica Ballardo

Editor’s Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley Economics and Public Policy Professor Hilary Hoynes uses her expertise in child poverty and the social safety net to influence California public policy and develop solutions to the state’s economic issues. ...

UC Berkeley study uncovers the mafia’s role in Italy’s wildfire crisis

December 9, 2024
By Aubrey Spowart

Over the past few years, raging wildfires in Italy have become a common and deadly occurrence. In Southern Italy, intense, record-breaking heat waves and dry scirocco winds create the perfect conditions for wildfires—both natural and coordinated.

In the paper “Land on fire: The spatial production of the mafia,” published in a special issue of "New Geographies of Organised Crime" in Criminology & Criminal Justice, UC Berkeley Geography Ph.D. student Lauren Pearson links...

UC Berkeley economics professor leads research on policymaking for California’s key issues

December 18, 2024
By Jessica Ballardo

Editor’s Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley Economics and Public Policy Professor Jesse Rothstein, an expert in education policy and the labor market, tackles critical California issues like criminal justice reform and homelessness through his leadership at the California Policy...

Psychology researchers awarded $4.5 million grant for bipolar disorder study

December 13, 2024
By Aubrey Spowart

Several studies at UC Berkeley’s Psychology Department have emerged that promise to reshape our understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. From securing a $4.5 million grant to launching a diet-focused study, UC Berkeley psychology researchers are determined to improve the lives of those suffering from this complex disorder.

A UC Berkeley study...

A new approach to decision-making can reduce stress, increase efficiency, UC Berkeley study reveals

January 7, 2025
By Sara Martin

In a world overflowing with choices — from what to eat for breakfast to which career path to pursue — decision-making has become an ever-present obstacle for most. Research from UC Berkeley’s Department of Psychology has demonstrated a new way that people can overcome this obstacle, by changing the way they approach their decisions.

This innovative approach, detailed in a study recently published in Nature Human Behaviour, focuses on altering the way people think of the relationship between their...

Geography professor explores the impact of treating housing as a financial asset on California public policy

February 10, 2025
By Jessica Ballardo

Editor's Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley Geography Professor Desiree Fields' research on the financialization of the housing market spans from the 2008 mortgage crisis to today's efforts by tech billionaires to create new cities "from scratch," informing California policymakers on topics such as...