The right questions can build closeness in 45 minutes
What they found
Pairs of strangers who worked through 36 questions that gradually became more personal felt remarkably close after 45 minutes - far closer than pairs who spent the time on small talk.
How they know
Randomly paired strangers received either escalating self-disclosure questions or neutral small-talk tasks for the same amount of time, then rated the closeness they felt.
What it means for you
Depth is not a matter of months - it is a matter of what you ask. One real question ("what are you working toward this year?") does more than an hour of weather.
The limits
Lab-generated closeness is a starting point, not a friendship; the escalation was mutual and voluntary - an interrogation does not work.
This is a short takeaway in our own words, not a reproduction of the study. For the method, the sample and the caveats, read the original. Mind lives inside the Booking Minds app under the brain icon, where you can save and share each piece.