What is the optimal stopping problem?
The ‘optimal stopping’ or ‘secretary problem’ is a classic mathematical puzzle about deciding when to stop searching and commit to the best option seen so far, when you can’t go back to previous options. It has been popularized as a playful lens on dating: spend part of your dating years exploring and learning your preferences, then commit to the next person who is better than everyone you’ve seen so far.
The formula
The math shows that the optimal strategy is to spend the first 1/e (about 37%) of your available time or candidate pool purely exploring and rejecting, then commit to the next candidate who beats everyone from the exploration phase. This calculator applies that ratio to your dating age range: Exploration Phase = (End Age – Start Age) / e.
This is a fun, simplified mathematical model, not real relationship advice — real dating involves far more nuance than a single formula can capture, and this tool is for educational and entertainment purposes only.