From Study to Haiku: Science in 17 Syllables

Image: Shutterstock/ Pakhnyushchy

Kirby Nielsen, assistant professor of economics, researches individuals’ decision-making behavior and uses experiments to study human perception of risk and uncertainty. Her field of experimental economics explores how people make choices involving financial investments, health care, and managerial decisions in the workplace.

Nielsen has added a creative twist to her own workplace behavior. She writes haiku summaries of her research papers, a practice that, she says, helps her think about the most efficient way to describe and present her work. “It takes a lot of time and practice to convey an idea simply and succinctly. That got me thinking that the ultimate challenge would be to communicate the whole story of a paper in just a sentence or two. The haiku structure provides a fun avenue for this and lets me add a little bit of poetry into the science.” Here are some of the fruits of her labor:

The paper: “Preferences for the Resolution of Uncertainty and the Timing of Information” (Journal of Economic Theory, September 2020)

The haiku:

“If it has happened

you want to know it sooner.

Otherwise, you’ll wait.”

The paper: “Timing of Communication” (with Puja Bhattacharya and Arjun Sengupta; The Economic Journal, August 2020)

The haiku:

“Promises are good

but cooperation fades.

Reports are better.”

The paper: “Teams Promise But Do Not Deliver” (with Puja Bhattacharya, John Kagel, and Arjun Sengupta; Games and Economic Behavior, September 2019)

The haiku:

“People will promise.

It makes them cooperate.

But don’t trust a group!”