Love Factually

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.

Mailbag: Friends-first, Weddings, & Therapy 05/05/2025

Mailbag: Friends-first, Weddings, & Therapy The first Love Factually mailbag episode! Eli and Paul answer your questions about friends-first relationships, wedding stress, and memory erasure. Plus, we reopen the debate: When do relationships benefit from therapy, and why? /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/36340870

Marriage Story (2019) 04/28/2025

Marriage Story (2019) What happens when we view marriage in terms of winning and losing? How does divorce affect children? What are the consequences of taking a relationship for granted? Paul and Eli sift through the wreckage in Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach’s lacerating, multiple-Oscar-nominated masterpiece starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/36301590

Groundhog Day (1993) 04/14/2025

Groundhog Day (1993) Can interactions with strangers fulfill our need to belong? Does ironic detachment mask attachment insecurity? Should we try to change ourselves into somebody else’s ideal partner? Paul and Eli immerse themselves, again and again, in Groundhog Day, the timeless philosophical redemption tale starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/36088805

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on the Dateable Podcast with Julie Krafchick and Yue Xu 04/07/2025

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on the Dateable Podcast with Julie Krafchick and Yue Xu In this special crossover episode of the , Paul and Eli chat with hosts Julie Krafchick and Yue Xu about how people should - and shouldn't - apply lessons from the movies to their dating lives. /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35969080

Hitch (2005) 03/31/2025

Hitch (2005) Is striving to avoid mistakes a good romantic strategy? Can couples who are mismatched on hotness get together? Does relationship success require that you be a desirable person? Paul and Eli dust off Hitch, the 2005 rom-com vehicle for Will Smith and Eva Mendes, in search of answers. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35892585

Before Sunset (2004) 03/17/2025

Before Sunset (2004) How does it feel to confront hard relationship choices? How can we truly listen to one another? What counts as infidelity? Paul and Eli unpack Before Sunset—the sequel to Before Sunrise—which features Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) unexpectedly reunited in Paris, confronting the past and changing the future. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35699990

Barbie (2023) 03/03/2025

Barbie (2023) 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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35490155

Jerry Maguire (1996) 02/17/2025

Jerry Maguire (1996) 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, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35288590

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on The Happiness Lab Podcast with Laurie Santos 02/14/2025

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on The Happiness Lab Podcast with Laurie Santos In this special crossover episode of The Happiness Lab podcast, Paul and Eli chat with about lessons learned from fact-checking rom-coms. /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35280080

Say Anything (1989) with Laurie Santos 02/03/2025

Say Anything (1989) with Laurie Santos 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 (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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/35098535

Pretty Woman (1990) with Katy Milkman 01/20/2025

Pretty Woman (1990) with Katy Milkman 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 (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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34900910

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on the Sex and Psychology Podcast with Justin Lehmiller 01/13/2025

BONUS episode: Paul and Eli on the Sex and Psychology Podcast with Justin Lehmiller In this special crossover episode of the Sex and Psychology podcast, Paul and Eli chat with about how sex and relationships are depicted in movies. /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34790200

Easy A (2010) with Justin Lehmiller 01/06/2025

Easy A (2010) with Justin Lehmiller 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 (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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34713005

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) with Peter Sagal 12/23/2024

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) with Peter Sagal 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 (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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34540705

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) 12/09/2024

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) 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 as the fourth best romantic comedy of all time. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34328650

The Notebook (2004) 11/25/2024

The Notebook (2004) 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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34121371

Love Factually Trailer 11/25/2024

Love Factually Trailer and are two professors who use psychological science to explain what your favorite romantic films get right -- and wrong -- about attraction and relationships. /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/34115431

Her (2013) 11/18/2024

Her (2013) 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 . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33950902

(500) Days of Summer (2009) 11/11/2024

(500) Days of Summer (2009) 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, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33819018

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) 11/04/2024

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) How does passionate love feel? What does it mean to pay attention to each other? Are there distinctive characteristics in the emergence of same-sex attraction? Paul and Eli consider these questions, and more, in their analysis of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the gorgeous period drama depicting forbidden love in late-eighteenth-century France. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33752357

10 Things I Hate about You (1999) 10/28/2024

10 Things I Hate about You (1999) Are some people un-date-able? What does attachment avoidance look like? How should we think about grand romantic gestures? Paul and Eli dissect 10 Things I Hate about You, the 90s attempt to modernize Shakespeare’s eternally controversial “The Taming of the Shrew.” For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33614877

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 10/21/2024

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) What is the absolute worst way to handle relationship conflict? Do we distort our own memories to make us feel better about our relationship? Are the reasons we’re attracted to someone similar to the reasons we’re attracted to someone else? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind submerges Paul and Eli in an ecstatic fever dream about these fascinating questions. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33505977

Before Sunrise (1995) 10/14/2024

Before Sunrise (1995) How quickly do attachment bonds start to form? What are the relationship consequences of believing that men and women are fundamentally different? How does self-disclosure cultivate feelings of intimacy? Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise takes Paul and Eli on a nostalgic joyride through these and other topics. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33427917

Challengers (2024) 10/07/2024

Challengers (2024) How do people compete to win someone’s affections? What are the less obvious reasons that people have sex? How do relationships and power intersect? Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers provides ample opportunity for Paul and Eli to examine these and other sexy topics. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33332687

Clueless (1995) 09/30/2024

Clueless (1995) Do people agree about who is attractive? What does it take to be a good matchmaker? Does similarity predict attraction? Paul and Eli discuss how well Clueless—the satirical 90’s remake of Jane Austen’s Emma—reflects the science of relationships. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33177992

La La Land (2016) 09/25/2024

La La Land (2016) How much insight do people have about their romantic preferences? What does effective support look like? Does career devotion require tradeoffs in our relationships? Paul and Eli discuss the science behind the acclaimed musical throwback: La La Land. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and . Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33177537

When Harry Met Sally (1989) 09/25/2024

When Harry Met Sally (1989) How does the trajectory of a relationship unfold over time? What does a good apology look like? Can men and women actually be friends? Paul and Eli unpack the themes of the genre-redefining masterpiece: When Harry Met Sally. For show notes, click . Hosted, produced, and edited by and Music by Artwork by /episode/index/show/4bfb63fb-9778-4b24-8755-17a4eff7cc39/id/33177472

Love Factually Trailer 09/04/2024

Love Factually

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