It’s no secret that friends can have a significant impact on your life.
Great friends can family members can make you laugh, lift you up when you’re down, and be there for the most important moments of your life.
Were you aware that your happiness can also be influenced by your friendships?
Close friendships, according to a growing body of research, can make you happier and healthier.
Getting to know someone means figuring out happy questions to ask friends! These can work to deepen your relationships.
Friendships And Happiness
What makes friendships so important to our lives?
Friends are vital to our existence.
Friends are our confidants, people with whom we share our most embarrassing moments, dream job, bucket list item, or favorite childhood memory.
They make us laugh hysterically, sometimes at ourselves and other times at life’s absurdities.
They help us get through the tough times by offering a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, or simply being present.
A good friend is essentially a family member that we choose.
And like family, friends are there for us through the good times and the bad.
While we may not need friends to survive, they certainly make life more enjoyable! Let’s take a deeper look into some of the other wonderful ways friendship can improve our lives.
1. Friendships Can Reduce Stress
Having friends is one of the best ways to reduce stress. When you have someone to rely on and confide in, it can make a world of difference. Studies have shown that people with strong social support systems have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and are better able to cope with stress.
So, if you’re feeling stressed or anxious, spend quality time with friends to relax.
2. Friendships Can Help You Feel Better
When we’re down, our friends are a great source of comfort and solace, and they can even help lift our spirits. Studies show that people who spend more time with friends are happier and more satisfied with their lives.
So, if you’re feeling a bit blue today, spend time with your best friend to lift your spirits.
3. Friendships Can Help You Maintain Your Mental Sharpness
As we get older, it’s important to keep our minds sharp. Research shows that social interaction can help protect against cognitive decline and memory loss.
So, spending time with friends can actually help keep your mind sharp as you age.
4. Friendships Can Assist Us in Living Longer, Healthier Lives
Studies have shown that people with strong social relationships have a 50% lower risk of death than those who don’t. In fact, friendships can actually be good for our health. Friendships have been linked to lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and increased overall longevity.
So, if you want to live a long and healthy life, make sure to nurture your friendships.
Perhaps the best way to nurture your friendships is to spend time with your friends, asking questions! By showing a genuine interest in your friends’ lives, you can deepen the bond you share.
Happy Questions To Ask Your Friends For More Meaningful Friendships
If you want meaningful friendships, you need to put in the effort.
According to a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science, people who ask more personal questions during conversations are perceived as more interested and likable.
As a result, these people are more likely to form close friendships.
The Importance Of Asking Your Friends Questions
So, what is it about asking deep questions that makes you more likable?
The researchers of the above-mentioned study believe it is related to how we process information.
When we have questions to ask, we are actively participating with the person with whom we are conversing.
This results in a back-and-forth communication flow, which makes the discourse more interesting and stimulating.
When we just make statements, on the other hand, conversations tend to be less fleshed out. This way of communicating keeps discussions at the surface level.
As a result, the conversation may feel one-sided and is far less enjoyable.
The researchers carried out two experiments.
They had pairs of random people talk to one another for 10 minutes in the first experiment. People who asked deep questions such as “What is the weirdest thing that ever happened to you?” were found to be more interesting and likable by their conversation partners.
In the second experiment, participants interacted with one another for 30 minutes. People who asked more questions were more likely to report feeling closer to their conversation partners.
Therefore, to have more productive interactions leading to closer friendships, ask deep questions that are open-ended (require more than a one-word answer)!
Happy Questions To Ask Your Friends
Here is a list of 10 deep, open-ended questions to ask your friends:
1. What do you like most about yourself?
2. What makes you feel satisfied and fulfilled in your life?
3. What are your desires and passions?
4. What are your future goals and ambitions?
5. What would you change about yourself if you could?
6. What do you value the most about the people in your life?
7. What concerns you about life?
8. What do you believe is the purpose of life?
9. What is the key to happiness in life?
10. What do you believe is the most important thing in life to remember?
These questions are designed to make your friends think. They are not easy questions to answer, but they should lead to more in-depth conversations.
Read on for why these questions are important:
1. What Do You Like Most About Yourself?
This is a great starter question that is positive and open-ended. It allows your friend to share what they appreciate about themselves. This can be a great icebreaker that helps you learn more about what they see as their best qualities.
You can jump in and add your own answer to this question as well. This will help create a bond between the two of you as you share what you like about yourselves and each other.
2. What Makes You Feel Satisfied And Fulfilled In Your Life?
This question gets at what is important to your friend. It helps you understand what they value in life and what makes them feel good.
3. What Are Your Desires And Passions?
This is another great question that allows your friend to share what they are passionate about. It gives you a glimpse into their soul and what motivates them.
4. What Are Your Future Goals And Ambitions?
This question helps you understand what your friend is working towards in life. It can be helpful to ask about their long-term goals so you know what they are striving for.
Knowing their answer to this question can help you support them in their pursuits. It can also help you suggest (or avoid) activities or ideas that may (or may not) help them succeed.
5. What Would You Change About Yourself If You Could?
This is a great question for helping you understand what your friend doesn’t like about themselves. It can be helpful to know their insecurities so you can be more supportive.
If you share your own answer to this question, it can help your friend feel more comfortable sharing their answer with you. By being vulnerable with each other, you can create a stronger connection.
6. What Do You Value The Most About The People In Your Life?
This question helps you become a better friend. By understanding what they value in their relationships, you can make sure to provide that for them.
It can also be helpful to share what you value in your relationships. This can help your friend understand what is important to you and help them be more supportive.
7. What Concerns You About Life?
This question gets at what is bothering your friend. It can help you understand their current worries and how you can help them.
If you find out that your friend is having a tough time, you can offer your support. If you need some help with how to be supportive, you might want to read up on how to make someone happy when they are sad.
If you share your own concerns, it can help your friend feel more comfortable sharing their worries with you. Sometimes just knowing that someone else shares similar thoughts is reassuring.
8. What Do You Believe Is The Purpose Of Life?
This is a deep question that can help you understand your friend’s values and beliefs.
Even if you don’t share the same belief, this can be a great opportunity to learn more about what they believe and why.
If you can have a respectful discussion about your different beliefs, it can help you better understand each other and gain new perspectives.
Maybe your friend (and you) will say that the purpose of life is to be happy. In this case, you can ask them what makes them happy and pursue more of those activities together!
9. What Is The Key To Happiness In Life?
This is a great question to follow up the previous one. It can help you understand what your friend believes is important for a happy life.
It’s a happy question that can assist you in recognizing what happiness means to others and what you should be doing to preserve happiness in your life.
You can also share your own answer to this question. This can help your friend understand what makes you happy and how they can be a part of that.
10. What Do You Believe Is The Most Important Thing In Life To Remember?
In an increasingly chaotic world, it is more valuable than ever to pause and reflect on what is essential. Ask your friends this important question to gain their perspective on what’s important in life.
You may find that your friend has a similar belief to you or that they have a unique perspective that changes the way you think. Either way, this is a great opportunity to learn more about your friend and also how to live a more meaningful life.
Additional Happy Questions To Ask Your Friends To Lighten The Mood
While our previous questions will definitely help you learn more about your friends, sometimes you just want some lighthearted conversation.
Here are some of our favorite lighthearted questions to ask:
Conversation Starters
- What is your secret weapon or best quality?
- Who do you think is the best movie villain and why?
- Name a few of your top 10 bucket list items.
- What is the most used emoji on your phone?
- How would your other friends describe you in 5 words?
- If you were on a deserted island, what 3 items would you want to have with you?
- If you could relive your entire life, what would and would you not do again?
- Who is your biggest role model?
- What is the strangest thing you’ve ever experienced?
- What celebrity would you want to have a conversation with?
Fun Questions
- What is your favorite movie?
- What is your favorite holiday?
- What is your favorite animal or pet?
- What is your favorite food and could you eat it for the rest of your life?
- What do you like to do when you’re not working?
- What is your favorite season and why?
- Describe your perfect vacation.
- What was the best gift you ever received?
- What is the craziest thing that you’ve ever done?
- What was your favorite subject in school?
- Do you have a sweet tooth, and if so, what treat is your guilty pleasure?
- Do you have any hidden talents?
- Who is your favorite fictional character?
- What is your favorite viral video?
- Describe your dream home.
- Tell me about your perfect day.
Interesting Questions
- What is your greatest accomplishment and how did you achieve it?
- Are you a night owl or a morning person?
- Would you say that you’re a clean or messy person?
- Are you a superstitious person?
- What is your biggest pet peeve?
- What is your biggest fear?
- What is your favorite memory from childhood?
- Did you ever have an imaginary friend growing up?
- Tell me about your younger self.
- Where did your parents meet?
- Do you have a favorite family tradition?
- What qualities do you look for in a romantic partner?
- What things did a past relationship teach you that you’re grateful for?
- Is there something you consider a relationship deal breaker?
- How do you define success?
- What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Final Thoughts
Friendship is a fundamental human need, and one that has been shown to be essential for happiness.
According to the Harvard Grant Study, “the single most important determinant of whether people (are) happy and satisfied in life (is) the quality of their relationships.”
This makes sense when you consider that humans are social animals by nature. We need friends to share our lives with, laugh with, and cry with.
Fortunately, cultivating relationships doesn’t have to be hard – it just takes some effort. One way to strengthen your friendships is by asking deep questions that make your friend think about themselves in a new light. These types of questions can help build trust and intimacy between friends.
However, sometimes lighter questions are more appropriate depending on the context and relationship you have with the person you’re talking to.
No matter what type of question you choose to ask, always aim to listen attentively without judgment so that your friend feels heard and understood.
If you want a simple way to start deepening your relationships with others, download the Do Happy App! It’ll keep your friendships at the forefront of your mind and make it easy for you to keep in touch, track important dates, and remember shared memories.
