http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/465911/the_mathematics_of_dating_applying_pg2.html?cat=41http://dickinson.edu/dickinsonian/detail.cfm?1862Ever since they were little, girls have dreamt of finding Mr. Right, with the image of him resembling any one of the many Disney princes. Although much of this silly and irrelevant, without knowing it these young girls have precisely figured out the most important thing about love and dating…it’s all a game! In class we studied game theory and how it has been applied to many different aspects of life (i.e. prisoner’s dilemma, game theory/Nash equilibrium in social networks). I happen to find that game theory can be extremely useful countless different areas, including YES even your personal life. The article above is one that takes a closer look at how game theory can be applied to this specific topic.In 2007 Austin Williams took a closer look at the process of finding a partner in his article The Mathematics of Dating: Applying Game Theory to Win a Spouse. His outlook and insight into people’s thought processes about dating and eventually marriage is fascinating. In the article Williams gives an example of how game theory becomes extremely useful and even essential in finding a husband.  In the scenario he uses one figurative woman, Mary, who is searching for a husband. He begins by explaining the rules and assumptions of the game. Then from that point he examines the different players, their motives, and comes up with 8 possible strategies for finding the person best suited for you. After going to through in great detail each strategy he comes to the conclusion that Nagger’s strategy is the best for her.  Similarly the other players in the game have different motives and beliefs but just like in other applications of game theory, causing them to have their own individual dominant strategy. Williams is not the only person to find game theory a beneficial tool in promoting the most optimal outcome out of relationships.  In 2006 students at Dickson College wrote an article demonstrating once again how the application of this process can prove highly successful in dating situations. However, their example is slightly different. In this scenario they use the example of two boys (who are friends) going after two girls at a party. They go on to explain how the dominant strategy is to determine who will pursue who before they even walk over to the women, thus avoiding conflict and creating an optimal situation for all. However, often time people are easily sidetracked and can be swayed toward another girl. Despite the temptation however, the boy should not follow this whim. His dominant strategy and the one with the best chance of working out (in this case it happens to be the Nash equilibrium) is to remain steady in their original decisions. There are some people out there who believe that each individual has a soul mate of which is the only person for them. They are entitled to their opinion but I happen to believe that if game theory were utilized more often in these situations the outcomes of relationships might actually improve. Cleary as humans we typically make decisions based off of our bounded rationality.  Thus regardless we are often forced to make satisficing choices. By participating in game theory you’re making the most of the choices available to you.