Love Factually Podcast: Two Psych Professors Analyze Rom-Coms

 Love Actually is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film features an ensemble cast, including Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, and Laura Linney.  The film delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a variety of individuals, many of whom are interlinked as the plot progresses. The story begins six weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place in the New Year.

In recent years, it has developed a cult following, and is often a staple film shown during the Christmas period in both the United Kingdom and the United States. 

With a wink and a nod, two psychology professors have developed a podcast that examines rom-coms through the lens of relationship science, empirical studies, and psychological accuracy. 

The podcast is called Love Factually and began in September 2024. The co-hosts are Paul Eastwick, a professor at UC DAVIS, is a social psychologist who studies attraction and close relationships, and is the author of the forthcoming book Bonded by Evolution (2026). Eli Finkel, a professor at Northwestern University, is a social psychologist who studies romantic relationships and American politics, and is the author of The All-Or-Nothing Marriage.

 The podcast began strong with one of the most iconic rom-coms of all time, When Harry Met Sally. Critical questions asked by the co-hosts include: How does the trajectory of a relationship unfold over time? What does a good apology look like? Can men and women actually be friends?

Since its inception, the podcast has tackled such rom-coms as Clueless, La La land, Moonstruck, The Notebook, and Brokeback Mountain.

 The episode about Groundhog Day was especially fascinating, as it asked: 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? The co-hosts shine here with this timeless philosophical redemption tale starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

In June, the co-hosts did something different and reviewed a rom-com that was still playing in movie theaters. In the movie, The Materialists, the co-hosts asked: What happens when we treat dating like a business proposition? How important is height in determining a man’s desirability? If love isn’t “the math,” then what is it? 

 The co-hosts, Dr. Eastwick and Dr. Finkel, are surprisingly lively, funny, and entertaining. They share personal anecdotes and are not above poking fun at each other. Of course, they're still social psychologists, so analyzing the human behavior and relationship dynamics is in their DNA.  

 Since rom-coms are constructed to entertain not accurately represent human relationship dynamics, then you would assume the co-hosts, our good doctors, would have an easy job picking apart the tropes, memes, shortcuts, and distortions of the typical rom-com. They do choose the low-hanging fruit and have fun dissecting the ways rom-coms distort human interactions and oversimplify complex relationship vortices. 

However, our co-hosts toss on their science hats and investigate these films with a more critical eye, often discovering nuggets of relationship insights in these movies. 

For example, the co-hosts are effusive in their praise for When Harry Met Sally, and it's not because of the restaurant scene. They rightly point out that romantic relationships often evolve from platonic friendships. 

 If you're interested, the podcast has a Substack, and it's Love Factually Substack. Moreover, I think the good doctors have new territory to explore with Hallmark movies, since rom-coms have become as rare as coherent sentences from Kristi Noem. 

Check out Love Factually. If you love rom-coms, you'll enjoy this scientific yet appealing show that fuses psychology with romance. The show is insightful, amusing, informative, and is a gift to fans of rom-coms.