Love Factually

Feb 03 2025 19 ep. 45 mins 16
Love Factually Podcast artwork

We're just two professors standing in front of a rom-com, asking it to be the subject of our podcast. Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel explain what your favorite romantic films get right -- and wrong -- about the science of romance. Because it's time for scientists to take Ryan Gosling as seriously as you do.

  Society & Culture  TV & Film
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Say Anything (1989) with Laurie Santos

Feb 03 2025 59 mins  
What are the benefits of optimism? How do people transfer attachments from parents to romantic partners? What exactly counts as stalking? Paul and Eli team up with Laurie Santos (Yale professor and host of The Happiness Lab podcast) to dive into the nice-guy manifesto Say Anything, starring (sigh) John Cusack and Ione Skye. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and edited b

Pretty Woman (1990) with Katy Milkman

Jan 20 2025 55 mins  
How does a transactional mindset undermine relationship well-being? What’s the nature of stereotypes? How can we tie our hands to achieve our goals? Paul and Eli invite Katy Milkman (Wharton professor and host of the Choiceology podcast) to discuss Pretty Woman, a Cinderella tale featuring Julia Roberts in a star-making performance. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, a

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on the Sex and Psychology Podcast with Justin Lehmiller

Jan 13 2025 41 mins  
In this special crossover episode of the Sex and Psychology podcast, Paul and Eli chat with Justin Lehmiller about how sex and relationships are depicted in movies.

Easy A (2010) with Justin Lehmiller

Jan 06 2025 52 mins  
Does the double standard linger for men and women? What exactly is sex positivity? Do people make unfounded assumptions about self-esteem and casual sex? Paul and Eli join forces with Justin Lehmiller (host of the Sex and Psychology Podcast) to discuss Easy A, the teen comedy adaptation of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and edited by

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) with Peter Sagal

Dec 23 2024 55 mins  
What does jealousy do to a person? How are relationships interwoven with identity? What are the many forms of sex and sexual desire? Paul and Eli welcome in special guest Peter Sagal (host of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!) to chat about Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick’s eternally fascinating swan song. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwi

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Dec 09 2024 46 mins  
What are the joys and miseries of singlehood? Is “playing hard to get” an effective dating strategy? Why does it feel so good to be adored “just as we are”? Paul and Eli revisit “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” the 2001 rom-com starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth—which Vanity Fair recently ranked as the fourth best romantic comedy of all time. For show not

The Notebook (2004)

Nov 25 2024 50 mins  
How does family disapproval affect the course of love? Can volatile relationships flourish? Does love cure dementia? Paul and Eli consider these questions, and more, in their analysis of “The Notebook,” the 2004 romantic melodrama starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling—and the winner of the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and e

Love Factually Trailer

Nov 25 2024 1 mins  
Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel are two professors who use psychological science to explain what your favorite romantic films get right -- and wrong -- about attraction and relationships.

Her (2013)

Nov 18 2024 52 mins  
What does it mean to share your life with someone? How does sexual compatibility work? Can new relationships help us get over old ones? Paul and Eli consider these questions, and more, in their analysis of “Her,” Spike Jonze’s 2013 boy-meets-operating-system romance starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Pa

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Nov 11 2024 51 mins  
What are the consequences of believing in the idea of a soulmate? How do relationships develop from the first day to the last? How well does the reality in our heads match the reality in the world? Paul and Eli consider these questions, and more, in their analysis of (500) Days of Summer, the 2009 romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. For show notes, cl