How To Fall in Love: 36 Questions That Can Make Love Blossom in 45 Minutes

Could these 36 questions help you form the most intimate relationship of your life?

36 Questions To Fall In Love

Could these 36 questions help you form the most intimate relationship of your life?

These 36 questions to fall in love could make you closer and more intimate with another person than with anyone else in your life — in just 45 minutes.

When New York psychologist Professor Arthur Aron and colleagues used these questions experimentally, they discovered that 30% of people formed their closest ever human relationship.

And, on average, people had become at least as close as their average established relationship, which had taken years to form.

The questions, published in the journal Interpersonal Closeness, were originally designed to create closeness between two people so that psychologists could study how relationships form (Aron et al., 1997).

Apart from anything else, though, most people found it really fun.

The instructions start with the following:

“We believe that the best way for you to get close to your partner is for you to share with them and for them to share with you.

In order to help you get close we’ve arranged for the two of you to engage in a kind of sharing game.

One of you should read aloud the first [question] and then BOTH do what it asks, starting with the person who read the slip aloud.

When you are both done, go on to the second [question] — one of you reading it aloud and both doing what it asks.

Alternate who reads aloud (and thus goes first) with each new [question].” (Aron et al., 1997).

And here are the questions:

36 Questions To Fall In Love – Set 1

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are 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 want?

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 any one quality or ability, what would it be?

36 Questions To Fall In Love – Set Two

1. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

2. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?

3. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

4. What do you value most in a friendship?

5. What is your most treasured memory?

6. What is your most terrible memory?

7. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

8. What does friendship mean to you?

9. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

10. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

11. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?

12. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

36 Questions To Fall In Love – Set Three

1. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling …”

2. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share …”

3. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.

4. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.

5. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.

6. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

7. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.

8. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

9. 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?

10. 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?

11. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?

12. 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.

Intimate conversation image from Shutterstock


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This site is all about scientific research into how the mind works.

It’s mostly written by psychologist and author, Dr Jeremy Dean.

I try to dig up fascinating studies that tell us something about what it means to be human.

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Author: Jeremy Dean

Psychologist, Jeremy Dean, PhD is the founder and author of PsyBlog. He holds a doctorate in psychology from University College London and two other advanced degrees in psychology. He has been writing about scientific research on PsyBlog since 2004. He is also the author of the book "Making Habits, Breaking Habits" (Da Capo, 2013) and several ebooks.