Episode 349: What Movies Get Right (And Wrong) About Relationships

Nov 29, 2024

Guest

Paul Eastwick

Guest

Eli Finkel

Join Dr. Paul Eastwick, a UC Davis professor studying romantic attraction, and Dr. Eli Finkel, a Northwestern University professor and author, as they dissect the truths and myths of romantic comedies. They explore whether love at first sight really exists and challenge the idea that opposites attract. Discover how films misrepresent intimacy and the complexities of relationships. With insights from iconic movies like 'When Harry Met Sally,' they emphasize the need to recognize both the charming and misleading aspects of cinematic love.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Relationship Trajectories

In movies, strangers meet and fall in love.
Real-life relationships often start with friendship, sometimes lasting months or years.

INSIGHT

Love at First Sight

Love at first sight is a common movie trope, often linked to meeting strangers.
Research suggests it's more about intense initial attraction, with intimacy and commitment developing later.

INSIGHT

Opposites Attract?

Opposites attract is a common trope, but neither similarity nor opposition fully predicts attraction.
People often perceive similarity with those they like, regardless of actual commonalities.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Romantic comedies are one of the most popular film genres. But how accurate are rom-coms in the way they portray sex, love, and relationships? My guests today are the hosts of a new podcast that uses the science of relationships to separate fact from fiction in some of the biggest rom-coms of all time. We’re going to explore some of the things that Hollywood gets right and wrong in the way they depict relationships.

I am joined by Dr. Paul Eastwick and Dr. Eli Finkel. Dr. Eastwick is a Professor at the University of California, Davis, where he studies romantic attraction and close relationships. Dr. Finkel is a professor at Northwestern University and author of the bestselling book The All-Or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work, which we discussed back in Episode 45. Together, they co-host the Love Factually podcast.

Some of the specific questions we answer in this episode include:

In movies, partners often meet as strangers and fall in love. Is this how relationships typically start in real life?
Falling in love at first sight is a common theme in rom-coms. But what does the science say about this?
Opposites often attract on screen, but is that also true IRL?
What are some things films often get wrong about sex?
Is it necessarily a bad thing if rom coms aren’t always accurate?

You can check out the Love Factually podcast website to learn and listen more.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

***

Thank you to our sponsors!

The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University has been a trusted source for scientific knowledge and research on critical issues in sexuality, gender, and reproduction for over 75 years. Learn about more research and upcoming events at kinseyinstitute.org or look for them on social media @kinseyinstitute.

***

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Bluesky to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast!

Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.