Optimal Stop Theory: The Mathematically Correct Way to Choose the Best Candidate

Optimal stop theory suggests that in order to choose the best candidate, you need to interview a certain number of applicants without making a decision. The mathematically correct answer is to interview 37% of the total applicants. After interviewing this percentage, you identify the single best applicant among that group, who becomes your benchmark. From that point on, every time you find someone who is as good or better than the benchmark, you hire that person. This concept can also be applied to dating. According to the book 'Algorithms to Live By,' if you're dating between the ages of 18 to 40, the optimal time to find a partner is when you are 26.1 years old. Beyond that age, you have likely already dated someone who would have made a great partner, and you can use them as a benchmark to evaluate future potential partners.