Regression to the Mean Girls | Romance by the Numbers: First Sparks Across Tropes

<p><a href="https://www.sarahlotspeich.com/">Sarah Lotspeich⁠</a> and <a href="https://www.lucymcgowan.com/">⁠Lucy D&#39;Agostino McGowan⁠</a> introduce <em>Regression to the Mean Girls</em>, a podcast about data-driven side quests in pop culture. In this episode, Sarah analyzes 45 recent romance novels to find out how different romance tropes affect the timing of the couple’s first kiss.</p><p>Check out the full analysis here: <a href="https://regressiontothemeangirls.com/">⁠https://regressiontothemeangirls.com/⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>Links to content we chat about on the episode:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17498430.2018.1450055">⁠<strong>Edward L. Kaplan and the Kaplan-Meier Survival Curve</strong>⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01621459.1958.10501452">⁠<strong>Nonparametric Estimation from Incomplete Observations</strong>⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/21/not-just-love-actually-why-romance-fiction-is-booming">⁠<strong>Not just love, actually: why romance fiction is booming</strong>⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.chase.com/personal/investments/learning-and-insights/article/what-is-lipstick-index">⁠<strong>What is the lipstick index?</strong>⁠</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Follow along on instagram:</p><p>@regressiontothemeansgirls</p><p><br></p><p>Podcast feed: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/rttmg/</p>