Pairs who completed the 36 questions reported significantly higher levels of closeness than those assigned to a "small talk" control group.
The core of the study is the Fast Friends procedure , a 45-minute task where pairs of strangers engage in reciprocal, escalating self-disclosure. Personal Numero 36 (1997)
The study demonstrated that social identity and personal meaning are fundamentally linked to the psychological process of identity formation through shared vulnerability. IV. Modern Context and Legacy Pairs who completed the 36 questions reported significantly