Applying logic, mathematics and oversimplifying assumptions to a topic as illogical, qualitative and complicated as true love may seem like a stretch, even for game theorists.  For those of us that find the world of dating frustratingly irrational, however, the statistics of this article (http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/01/08/game-theory-tuesdays-how-can-i-find-true-love/) may offer some guidance and comfort.  Through statistics, the writer identifies the optimal strategy for maximizing the chances of marrying your “true love.”

            The article begins with a few definitions and assumptions.  For the purposes of this article, the term true love will refer to the best person who is willing to date you (Scarlet Johansson can’t be everyone’s true love).  More specifically, it refers to the best of the people who you would potentially date over the years.  If you are willing to date up to 10 people before settling or giving up, for example, your “true love” will refer to the best of those hypothetical 10 people.

            Other assumptions include

            1. You can only date one person at a time

            2. You end a relationship by either “selecting” or “rejecting” the person

            3. No rekindling old relationships

            4. You will date a max of N potential people in your lifetime

            5. You only know your current date’s relative rank to others you have dated

            6. The other person isn’t playing this game (the article talks briefly about this situation, but it ends up quite complicated)

             Clearly you do not want to marry the first person you date.  If you were willing to date 10 people, such a move would give you only a 1/10 chance of choosing your best option.  Likewise, if you simply reject the first 9 of 10 potential prospects, you will be stuck with the last one.  This will again give you a 1/10 chance of winning.  The answer lies somewhere in the middle.

            Turns out that if you want to date a maximum of 10 people, your best strategy is to reject the first 3 outright after dating them for long enough to gather information.  This will give you a benchmark.  After this point, you should accept the first person that is superior to all three of your lost loves.  This will maximize your chances of ending up with that perfect guy or girl, or at least the best of your options.

            In general, you should reject the first 37% of your potentials.  So if N=100, reject 37 dates.  This will give you a 37% chance of “winning.”  Math majors can see the link in the article for the real proof.

            This is similar to the concept of a mixed strategy in the face of uncertainty.  In any given relationship, there is no dominant strategy (your first date could very well be your best or your worst).  But using mathematics, the expected value of the outcome can be maximized.

            For the romantics who don’t believe in the statistics of love, this same math has a number of other applications.  In this article (http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2010/02/09/how-to-find-cheap-gas-using-game-theory/) you can apply the same concept to finding a cheap gas station in a strange town.  Turns out the two situations are very similar mathematically.