Looking for Mr. Good (Enough) Bar

Women in their 40s waiting for Mr. Right are "almost like teenagers who believe they're invulnerable to dying in a drunk-driving accident," Lori Gottlieb writes in the Atlantic Monthly. Gottlieb (single, 40ish), thinks women who shun "Mr. Good Enough" believing it's better to be alone are kidding themselves; chuck the idealism and you'll probably be "happier in the long run."

Settling may not be ideal, but it's better to have a teammate than be alone on the bench. And the younger a woman is when she realizes this, the easier the pill will be to swallow. Gottlieb writes that, as she gets older and the dating pool shrinks, it's frightening to think of what man would settle for her. Settle younger—and you'll settle better. (More marriage stories.)