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SEARCH THEORY
Deciding When to Settle

Many people believe there exists a single person who is their perfect partner or “soul mate.” That may be true, but then I certainly hope that my soul mate does not live in a remote village in India. Suppose that my soul mate was born, like me, in the 1960s. Limiting myself to women who are still alive, and assuming that half of them have already met their soul mates, I have perhaps 200 million potential partners. If I meet two potential partners a day, there’s a 50/50 chance I will find my soul mate within a quarter of a million years.

OK, the strategy of meeting every woman I can until I find my soul mate doesn’t sound too promising. So what’s my best alternative? If I accept that I won’t meet ...

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