Episode 3: 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.
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Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel.
Intro
0:55: (Eli) Who are the characters and couples?
2:05: (Paul) 1-minute plot recap
3:20: What is our relationship to this movie?
What the movie gets right
6:45: (Paul) People reach consensus about other people’s mate value *when first meeting*
A Social Relations Model review by Dr. Back
Agreement about mate value declines over time study by Paul
Agreement about personality is steady over time review by Dr. Kenny
13:40 (Eli) Reciprocity inspires romantic attraction
Desire for unique treatment by partners study by Dr. Anik
15:50: (Paul) People sort into groups based on interests and personality
Similarity is about niche construction study by Dr. Bahns
Niches shape our romantic choices study by Paul
17:20: (Eli) Misattribution of arousal
Love on a bridge study by Dr. Dutton
Misconceptions in the movie
20:35: (Eli) People are overconfident about what they want in a partner
Discrepancy between stated and revealed preferences study by Dr. Wu
“What does it mean to say you like an attribute?” review by Dr. Ledgerwood
23:15: (Paul) Couples who are “mismatched” in desirability don’t have worse relationships
Matching on attractiveness is lower when people are “friends first” study by Dr. Hunt
The hotness of your crush is irrelevant study by Paul
28:05: (Eli) The Pygmalion effect vs. the Michelangelo effect
Affirming the partner’s ideal self review by Dr. Rusbult
30:35: (Paul) Social classes can be crossed when prospective partners actually meet each other
Marriage during “The Season” study by Dr. Goni
“Are we ok with this?”
33:05: (Eli) Stereotypes about sexual orientation; trivializes unwanted sexual attention
36:05: (Eli) Mugging scene has not aged well
36:55: (Paul) Dating your much older stepbrother?
Relationship Quotes!
39:25: (Paul) Tai’s confusion about Elton and their relative mate value
40:55: (Eli) Cher and the invention of similarity
Perceived—not actual—similarity predicts attraction study by Dr. Tidwell
42:35: (Paul) Cher finds Josh’s faults endearing
What do we wish we knew?
45:20: (Eli) When do short-term stressors make relationships worse vs. better?
46:35: (Paul) Who are the good matchmakers?
Guessing who likes whom study by Dr. Chapdelaine
Stars (1–5): Both hosts rate the quality of the movie
Rusbults (1–5): Both hosts rate the accuracy of the movie’s ideas about relationships
Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons
Artwork by Katie Keil