With great power comes great responsibility. I tried it on my coworker and now she won't stop staring at me.
Love isn't about soulmates, cupid's arrow or a rippling six-pack — it's about exposing yourself. And while "exposing yourself" in the conventional sense might only help you find a restraining order, exposing yourself emotionally might actually be the best way to find someone to binge-watch Netflix with. In a recent study from psychologists at the State University of New York, the eggheads found that closeness between complete strangers can be rapidly accelerated by sharing progressively deeper personal information.
And that makes sense. Think about your closest friends: You've seen them with vomit in their hair and you love them anyway. By sharing embarrassing, tragic moments with them, you get to see that they're insecure fuck-ups (just like you) and you've built a lasting relationship with them. The more personal info you gather about a person, the better grasp you can have of said person and truly decide if you like them.
And now, thanks to even more science, we can expedite the whole "getting to know you" crap and get to the "vomit in your hair" stories so you can really bond. Since nobody actually likes small talk anyway, use this handy guide on your next blind date, and they might actually like you. The list is supposed to end with four straight minutes of unbroken eye contact, but that might be just a little creepy.
Set I
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?
Set II
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 dreamed 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?
Set III
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 very 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.
It's that easy. Now that person loves you.
And even if you can't run the entire set, sprinkle these questions in the next time you feel a lull in the conversation. It's way more interesting than "what's your favorite color" or some similar nonsense.
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