Okay, Top Tip #2: How to pick the perfect partner.

So let's imagine then that you're a roaring success on the dating scene.

But the question arises of how do you then convert that success into longer-term happiness and in particular, how do you decide when is the right time to settle down?【词义】convert=change

Now generally, it's not advisable to just cash in and marry the first person who comes along and shows you any interest at all. 

But, equally, you don't really want to leave it too long if you want to maximize your chance of long-term happiness.   【词义】To maximize one's chance means to do sth. in a way that makes it most likely to occur.

As my favorite author, Jane Austen, puts it, "An unmarried woman of seven and twenty can never hope to feel or inspire affection again." 

Thanks a lot, Jane. What do you know about love?

So the question is then, how do you know when is the right time to settle down given all the people that you can date in your lifetime? 

Thankfully, there's a rather delicious bit of mathematics that we can use to help us outhere, called optimal stopping theory. 

So let's imagine then, that you startdating when you're 15 and ideally, you'd like to be married by the time that you're 35. 

And there's a number of people that you could potentially date across your lifetime, and they'll be at varying levels of goodness. 

Now therules are that once you cash in and get married, you can't look ahead to see what you could have had, and equally, you can't go back and change your mind.

In my experience at least, I find that typically people don't much like being recalled years after being passed up for somebody else, or that's just me.

【选择】 -What is the common issue among people looking to settle down?  -They don't want to settle down too early or too late.

So the math says then that what you should do in the first 37 percent of your dating window, you should just reject everybody as serious marriage potential.

And then, you should pick the next person that comes along that is better than everybody that you've seen before. 

So here's the example. 

Now if you do this, it can be mathematically proven, in fact, that this is the best possible way of maximizing your chances of finding the perfect partner. 

Now unfortunately, I have to tell you that this method does come with some risks. 

For instance, imagine if your perfect partner appeared during your first 37 percent. 

Now, unfortunately, you'd have to reject them.

Now, if you're following the maths, I'm afraid no one else comes along that's better than anyone you've seen before, so you have to go on rejecting everyone and die alone.

Probably surrounded by cats nibbling at your remains.

【选择】 -What risk is there for people who reject the first 37 percent of potential partners they meet?  -The first 37% of potential partners might include the most ideal parterner.

Okay, another risk is, let's imagine, instead, that the first people that you dated in your first 37 percent are just incredibly dull, boring, terrible people. 

Now, that's okay, because you're in your rejection phase, so that's fine, you can reject them.      【词义】A phase is a stage in a process. 阶段

But then imagine, the next person to come along is just marginally less boring, dull and terrible than everybody that you've seen before. 

Now, if you are following the maths, I'm afraid you have to marry themand end up in a relationship which is, frankly, suboptimal. 

Sorry about that.

But I do think that there's an opportunity here for Hallmark to cash in on andreally cater for this market. 

A Valentine's Day card like this. "

My darling husband, you are marginally less terrible than the first 37percent of people I dated." 

It's actually more romantic than I normally manage.

【选择】 -If the first 37% of people you meet are undesirable and you reject them, what does the math say you should do next?    -You should marry the next person who comes along, even if they are suboptimal.

Okay, so this method doesn't give you a 100 percent success rate, but there's no other possible strategy that can do any better. 

And actually, in thewild, there are certain types of fish which follow and employ this exactstrategy. 

So they reject every possible suitor that turns up in the first 37 percent of the mating season, and then they pick the next fish that comes alongafter that window that's, I don't know, bigger and burlier than all of the fishthat they've seen before. 

I also think that subconsciously, humans, we do sortof do this anyway. 

We give ourselves a little bit of time to play the field,get a feel for the marketplace or whatever when we're young.      【词义】To play the field means to become romantically involved with a number of partners. 玩这个领域，获得经验

And then we only start looking seriously at potential marriage candidates once we hit ourmid-to-late 20s. 

I think this is conclusive proof, if ever it were needed, that everybody's brains are prewired to be just a little bit mathematical.

【选择】 -What proof does Fry offer to show that human brains are mathematical?   -We use our past dating experiences to evaluate potential long-term partners.

【跟读】 It can be mathematically proven that this is the best way to find the perfect partner.