When you're trying to get to know someone, small talk can only get you so far. After all, can you really say you know someone when all you're talking about is mundane things like the weather and (hopefully not) gas prices? It's like pulling teeth. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of your conversation partner's psychology, you might consider asking them some more thought-provoking questions. These questions will make you really think about life and existence.
Asking thought-provoking questions opens the door to forming deep connections—as long as you express genuine interest and curiosity. On the other hand, when you avoid certain questions and topics, you can easily go through life based on assumptions. It's easy to get caught up in one's own inner world and forget the fact that everyone lives as their own protagonist and has their own unique perspective. You might even learn a thing or two that you've never considered before. Have you ever wondered how other people view time? Does everyone have an inner voice? Would everyone get a chance to do it again if given the chance?
Being open to hearing different perspectives and learning from each other enriches and develops the human experience. Unfortunately, this fact seems to be often forgotten. These types of questions are not only fun conversation starters, but also effective prompts for deep inner reflection. Even if you have no one to discuss these esoteric tips with you, you may find it enriching and enlightening to ask yourself these thought-provoking questions. To get you started on your journey of deep thinking, find below 65 questions that will keep you thinking about life with friends and family all day long.
Thought provoking questions
- When do you feel most energetic?
- Is honesty always the best policy?
- If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
- What's your worst habit? What's stopping you from changing it?
- How would your life change if the Internet ceased to exist?
- How much time do you think you spend in your life on your phone?
- Do you think in pictures?
- Do you hear an inner voice in your head?
- Is time man-made?
- Do you want to remember every detail in your life? Why or why not?
- Will you sacrifice yourself for the greater good?
- Where does your self-worth come from?
- Does a person's name affect who they become?
- What harsh truths would you rather ignore?
Thought-provoking ethical questions
- Is there such a thing as a bad guy? What makes them evil?
- Is it okay to lie?
- Is it okay to hurt others?
- Does doing bad things make a person a bad person?
- Do humans have a moral obligation to take care of the earth? Why or why not?
- Should all animals have the same rights? Why or why not?
- Is war moral?
- Is it ethical to intentionally harm one person for the greater good?
- Are people born good, or is it an acquired morality?
- Do all people deserve respect, no matter what they have done?
- At what age are children responsible for their own actions?
Interesting and thought-provoking questions
- Is it oatmeal soup?
- If animals could talk, which animal would be the rudest?
- Which superhero, if he were real, would most improve the world?
- Why do you have a runny nose and smelly feet?
- Would the ocean be deeper without sponges?
- What would the chair look like if our knees bent the other way?
- What’s the best thing before sliced bread?
- If you drip soap on the floor, is the floor clean or is the soap dirty?
- If you're waiting for a waiter, aren't you a waiter?
- What do teeth taste like? Do all teeth taste the same?
- Since it has been built, why is it still called a building?
- How long can you survive the zombie apocalypse? What's your plan?
- Why do round pizzas come in square boxes?
Thought-provoking questions about existentialism
- Do you believe in reincarnation?
- Do you believe in aliens?
- How will humanity become extinct?
- Does destiny exist?
- Does free will exist?
- If you could, would you choose eternal life?
- Does life still have meaning?
- Do you believe in coincidence?
- If you could add one global law, what would it be?
- What does it mean to be a human being?
- If you could be reincarnated as anything, what would it be?
- What is consciousness?
- Do you believe in the existence and reality of the fifth dimension?
- Did you exist before you were born?
Confusing Thought Provoking Questions
- How would you describe the concept of color?
- What does it feel like to remember something?
- Is nature orderly, or is everything chaotic and haphazard?
- Which came first, plants or seeds?
- If actions speak louder than words, do words count as actions?
- If life is unfair to everyone, does that mean life is actually fair?
- Is being "positive" about something the same thing as being "negative" about something?
- If you had amnesia and later recovered, would you remember that you forgot?
- What is the speed of darkness?
- What would happen if there were no hypothetical questions?
- What does the color taste like?
- Which is scarier, alien life or universal loneliness?
- Why drive on the parkway but park in the driveway?
