I’m 25, single and going to get married one day. But exactly when I’ll stroll down the aisle… well, I have no clue.But according to a mathematical theory, I need to get the show on the road.
Journalist Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths, co-authors of “Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions,” believe using what’s called the “37% Rule” will help you make responsible judgment calls when it comes to deciding when you should start settling down.
Basically, the rule states that when you’re in a time crunch and need to make a decision in a short window of time, it’s best to make the final call after looking through 37 percent of the options you’d have.
The 37 percent mark presents you with a large enough chunk of information, so whatever choice you make won’t be completely uninformed, but you also won’t waste too much time.
Now, if you’re in hot pursuit of true love during the ages of 18-40, take 37 percent of that 22-year gap, crunch some numbers and you’ve got yourself finding a good partner at the ripe age of 26.
If you settle before that age, you’ll end up missing out on some respectable ladies and gents still out there. But if you wait until after that age, all the good ones are usually taken.A 1960 experiment made this 37% Rule a little easier to understand using “The Secretary Problem.”
Let’s say you’re in dire need of a secretary, and you can only interview the candidates once individually. How many people should you chat with before deciding who’s best for the job?
Well, if you’re interviewing three secretaries, you should make the call after secretary number two. If the second one seems a lot better than secretary one, scoop them up quickly.
But if they end up being a dud, hold off and keep interviewing.Now, none of this is to say you’ll be alone forever if you don’t find someone by 26. I mean, our general dating interests change a lot from day to day, so who knows what could happen.
What the 37% Rule suggests is, by 26, you’re mature enough to make decisions that aren’t influenced by outside parties, and you’ll stay pretty truthful to what you believe in.
And by that point in your life, it’s all about taking a few risks.
How else are you going to find Mr./Mrs. Right instead of Mr./Mrs. Right Now?