Arthur Aron
Professor of Psychology, Stony Brook University
Creator of the self-expansion model of close relationships — the research behind how partners help each other grow, and behind the famous ‘36 questions.’
Citation, not endorsement
The researchers named on this page are independent scientists with no connection to The Three Lives. They did not create, advise on, review or endorse this test, and they are not affiliated with it in any way. We cite their published, peer-reviewed work and link to every paper so you can read the source yourself. Where the evidence is thin, we say so, in the sentence that uses it.
The published work
Arthur Aron is one of the founders of the scientific study of close relationships. With Elaine Aron he developed the self-expansion model: people seek to grow, and close partners become part of how we grow.
His lab produced the ‘36 questions’ procedure for generating closeness between strangers, later made famous by the New York Times, and pioneered brain-imaging studies of romantic love.
His work on couples doing novel, challenging activities together shows that shared new experiences are linked to higher relationship quality — a direct bridge to the Richness dimension.
How The Three Lives uses this work
The self-expansion items in the relationship section.
Relevant papers
Aron, A., Aron, E. N., Tudor, M., & Nelson, G. (1991)
Close relationships as including other in the self ↗Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(2), 241–253
The foundation of the self-expansion model.
Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E. N., Vallone, R. D., & Bator, R. J. (1997)
The experimental generation of interpersonal closeness ↗Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(4), 363–377
The ‘36 questions’ study.
Aron, A., Norman, C. C., Aron, E. N., McKenna, C., & Heyman, R. E. (2000)
Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality ↗Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 273–284
Shared novelty and relationship quality — used in the couple items.