The Weird Mathematical Rule that Makes Decision-Making Easy

Looking for a new sales associate? Go full-on nerd and try the “37% Rule,” which basically says that when you need to screen a range of options in a limited amount of time — be they candidates for a job or potential romantic partners — it’s a weird mathematical truth that the best time to make a decision is when you’ve looked at 37 percent of those options. (If none is right, pick the next one that is better than the first 37 percent.) According to an article in Lecture Notes In Economics And Mathematical Systems, this approach can be applied to just about any such sequential scenario — from choosing a mate, to a new store location.