36 Questions to Bring You
Closer Together Get to know someone and
create a sense of intimacy, in as little as an hour. Posted October 15, 2013 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma · Social
psychology researcher Arthur Aron shared a list of questions that generate
closeness between two people. · Aron's
results were published in "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal
Closeness" in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (1997). · Questions
that bring people together cover various topics including friendship, death,
sharing, and family. These questions only take about 45 minutes to discuss—and
they almost always make two people feel better about each other and want to see
each other again, according to social psychology researcher Arthur Aron of the
Interpersonal Relationships Lab at Stony Brook University in New York, who
published his results in "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal
Closeness" in Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin (1997). You can try these questions with a date, but they're not
necessarily only applicable to fostering romance. You can also try them with
people you already know well—friends, family members, even long-term
partners—to deepen your ties. Each of you should take a turn answering each question.
Here they are, in order: 1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you
want as a dinner guest? 2. Would you like to be famous? In what way? 3. Before making a phone call, do you ever rehearse what
you're going to say? Why? 4. What would constitute a perfect day for you? 5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else? 6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain
either the mind or body of a 30-year old for the last 60 years of your life,
which would you choose? 7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? 8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have
in common. 9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful? 10. If you could change anything about the way you were
raised, what would it be? 11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life
story in as much detail as possible. 12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one
quality or ability, what would it be? 13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about
yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know? 14. Is there something that you've dreamt of doing for a
long time? Why haven't you done it? 15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? 16. What do you value most in a friendship? 17. What is your most treasured memory? 18. What is your most terrible memory? 19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly,
would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why? 20. What does friendship mean to you? 21. What roles do love and affection play in your life? 22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive
characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items. 23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel
your childhood was happier than most other people's? 24. How do you feel about your relationship with your
mother? 25. Make three true "we" statements each. For
instance, "we are both in this room feeling..." 26. Complete this sentence "I wish I had someone
with whom I could share..." 27. If you were going to become a close friend with your
partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know. 28. Tell your partner what you like about them. Be honest
this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met. 29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in
your life. 30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By
yourself? 31. Tell your partner something that you like about them
already. 32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about? 33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity
to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?
Why haven't you told them yet? 34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches
fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one
item. What would it be? Why? 35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would
you find most disturbing? Why? 36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner's
advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back
to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen. |
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