To feel closer, take turns answering progressively deeper questions instead of learning scripted lines
Two strangers who took turns answering 36 increasingly personal questions felt closer after 45 minutes than people who spent the same time making small talk. The useful element was reciprocal, gradually deeper honesty, not clever lines. This demonstrated immediate closeness, not a lasting relationship.
What it takes
Free; allow 45 minutes.
What you may gain
Pairs of strangers answered three sets of increasingly personal questions, 36 in total. Questions ranged from whom they would most like to invite to dinner to when they last cried in front of someone. After 45 minutes, reported closeness was significantly higher than in an equally long small-talk control condition. It was also higher than the average rating university students in the study gave their closest real-life relationships.
Context & considerations
This was a single experiment with university students, measuring short-term closeness rather than whether lasting relationships developed. Closeness came from taking turns sharing genuine, progressively deeper information, not scripts, tactics or one person performing. Try sharing something real and asking a question of similar depth, with both people taking turns.
Research & references
Aron A, Melinat E, Aron EN, Vallone RD, Bator RJ (1997). The experimental generation of interpersonal closeness: a procedure and some preliminary findings. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(4), 363-377. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297234003