Participants were told either that most others in the study were willing to reveal stigmatizing answers or that they were unwilling to do so. Participants who were told that others had been forthcoming were 27% likelier to reveal sensitive answers than those who were told that others had been reticent. In a meeting or group setting, it takes only a few closed-off people for questions to lose their probing power. As soon as one person starts to open up, the rest of the group is likely to follow suit. Well, it turns out it’s a lot more useful than just a way to pass the time when you’re bored. You can arguably learn more about a person through seemingly random questions like “ketchup or mustard? ” than you can by asking what their five-year plan is. By the time you rifle through 20 playful questions of the not-so-serious stuff, you’ll know too many bizarre facts about this person to call the relationship anything but intimate. If they react as if it’s an annoying question, move on to something else. From there, the conversation will hopefully start flowing Here’s more information regarding what to ask people check out the web site. .