Love Factually

Join Justin Lehmiller, host of the Sex and Psychology Podcast, as he dives into the provocative themes of the 2010 film Easy A. The discussion tackles lingering sexual double standards, misconceptions around casual sex, and the importance of sex positivity. They critically assess the film's portrayal of adolescent sexuality and self-worth, highlighting societal attitudes towards women's sexual freedom. The need for open conversations about STIs and the evolution of romantic gestures in film also take center stage, making for an enlightening chat.

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 Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil

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 notes, click here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil

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 edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil

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.

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 Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil        

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 here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil

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 here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil

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 here. Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil

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 here.   Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel. Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons Artwork by Katie Keil