Risky business

Competitive funding can stifle new ideas, says Gerd Gigerenzer

‘Less is more’ is a concept that runs through the work of German experimental psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer. His research on the cognitive shortcuts that humans use for decision-making, and how they can be harnessed to understand risk, has achieved genuine cut-through in society. Gigerenzer (pictured) has developed programmes on risk literacy for medics, judges and schoolchildren, and has a long-standing collaboration with the Bank of England on avoiding financial shocks.

He says less is indeed more when it comes to research outputs. “I’d advise every young researcher who is smart to go against the stream and publish fewer articles, but excellent ones. I grew up in a world where quality of research was more important than funding. That is no longer always the case.”