# Self knowledge
36 questions to help you better know yourself.
These research-based reflections can help individuals enhance their self-understanding.Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels. There is a well-known set of 36 questions that helps two strangers get to know each other, and potentially fall in love. These questions, popularized in the NY Times article “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love,” were created by my Ph.D. advisor, Arthur Aron. The questions’ goal was to fast-track friendship, build closeness, and perhaps spark romantic interest. (You can read the original research article here; it includes all 36 closeness-building questions at the end.)
Understanding Yourself
The mind is a mysterious thing. How aware are you of the voices in your head? It is well-known we experience much of our thinking as an internal dialogue. A dialogue with whom, you ask? With yourself, of course! These inner voices affect our behaviors and the results we get in life. Some hinder us while others help. The question is, do you realize this? Are you awake to it? If you are, how often do you recognize specific voices?