Love Factually

Mar 03 2025 22 ep. 45 mins 59
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  Science
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Barbie (2023)

Mar 03 2025 48 mins  
How can people navigate the “friendzone”? Do men need romantic relationships more than women do? Does confusion about one’s identity undermine relationships? Paul and Eli search for answers in the 2023 film Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s feminist fantasia featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. For show notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Fink

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Feb 17 2025 46 mins  
Why is it so important to be able to celebrate with someone? Is parenting sexy? What are the challenges of being in a relationship when you don’t know who you are? Paul and Eli search for answers in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, Cameron Crowe’s endlessly quotable rom-com, featuring acclaimed performances from Renée Zellweger, Tom Cruise, and Cuba Gooding Jr. For show notes, cli

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on The Happiness Lab Podcast with Laurie Santos

Feb 14 2025 46 mins  
In this special crossover episode of The Happiness Lab podcast, Paul and Eli chat with Laurie Santos about lessons learned from fact-checking rom-coms.

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