Why is 'best' used instead of 'better'?

Question

I have a doubt about this sentence: 'Long practice sessions are best.'

It's from a book, so supossedly it's correct. Why do they use 'best'? Shouldn't they use 'better'? Is it a trend? I've heard it many times. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

This is one of the ways in which superlatives are used, idiomatically.

Other examples are "That would be the easiest way"; "the quickest route to London".

We can use comparatives ("better", "easier", "quicker") but they invite the question "better than what?", while superlatives don't.