The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings

Pairs of strangers who escalated disclosure in steps over 45 minutes felt closer than pairs who made small talk.

Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E. N., Vallone, R. D. & Bator, R. J. (1997). The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(4), 363–377.

Type

Journal article

Find it

doi.org/10.1177/0146167297234003

Checked

Against the abstract, 15 September 2026

Why it is on the list

A lab procedure in which self-disclosure tasks that “gradually escalate in intensity” produced more closeness than small talk. Making closeness an explicit goal, or matching people on attitudes, made no significant difference. Week 9 takes the gradient, not the speed: the procedure works in steps both people take together, and a lab session is not an invitation to escalate that fast anywhere else.