A mathematical theory says the perfect age to get married is 26 — here’s why – WBNews

A and N photography/Shutterstock If you’re in your early 20s and Valentine’s Day has you thinking about your romantic future, consider the 37% Rule. According to journalist Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths, coauthors of “Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions,” that rule could help you save time looking for a spouse. The 37% Rule basically says that when you need to screen a range of options in a limited amount of time — be they candidates for a job, new apartments, or potential romantic partners — the best time to make a decision is when you’ve looked at 37% of those options. At that point in a selection process, you’ll have gathered enough information to make an informed decision, but you won’t have wasted too much time looking at more options than necessary. At the 37% mark, you’re in a good place to pick the best of the bunch. A common thought experiment to demonstrate this theory — developed by non-PC maths guys in the 1960s — is called “The Secretary Problem.” In the hypothetical scenario, you can only screen secretaries once. If you reject a candidate, you can’t go back and hire them later (since they might have accepted another job). The question is: How deep into the pool of applicants do you go to maximise your chance of finding the best one? If you interview just three applicants, the authors explain, your best bet is making a decision based on the strength…more detail