Yes—it’s tempting to stay surface level when the world is already a pretty darn serious place. But sometimes, you gotta resist the urge to ~tune it all out~ and instead, get deep.
ICYDK, being inquisitive can actually make you feel a bit better about, well, everything. "Asking yourself questions that make you think can help you get a little more control over life," says Amy Kind, PhD, philosophy professor and director of the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies at Claremont Mckenna College. (Yes, please!)
"We don’t really want to be carried from moment to moment simply by the currents around us," she says. "It’s important to step back and question what we’re doing and why, and also what we want to be doing and why. Otherwise, like a plastic bag, we’re just letting ourselves float in the wind." (Fine imagery for a Katy Perry song, but no way to live your life.)
While thought-provoking questions are usually not easy to answer, Kind says they can "help you figure out how you want to make your way in the world." This might also give you clarity about other big stuff, like work, family, friendships, responsibilities, and more.
Meet The Experts: Amy Kind, PhD, philosophy professor and director of the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies at Claremont Mckenna College. Chloe Carmichael, PhD, a clinical psychologist and author of Nervous Energy: Harness The Power of Your Anxiety. Elinor Bock, PhD founder of Therapists of New York.
That said, don’t put pressure on yourself to think too hard: "We often find an answer we’re looking for not by studied reasoning or analysis, but instead by letting our minds run free," Kind says. (Phew!) So, you have full permission to let those wild thoughts outttt.
The following 75 though-provoking and deep questions will trip your mind up (in a good way). Now, ask away and let your mind wander.
Questions That Make You Think About Your Life
1. How long is your "now"?
2. What was the moment where you felt most motivated?
3. If you won the lottery, what would your "today" look like in five years?
4. What are you holding onto that’s holding you back?
5. If you didn’t know your age, how old would you think you’d be?
6. Do you "work to live" or "live to work"?
Since you're already asking yourself all kinds of Q's, why not try getting to know others a bit better while you're at it? Watch this video for more...
7. Do you hate or love better?
8. Would you rather lose all your memories or never be able to make new ones?
9. How do you measure success?
10. If you restarted your life from scratch, would you end up in the same place?
11. What is something you do differently than anyone else you know, and why?
12. What job would you do if you weren’t paid?
13. What is one part of your everyday routine that you’d be better off without?
14. Can you ever commit a truly selfless deed?
15. What previous dream do you see the most meaning in?
16. What’s a question you wish people would ask when they meet you for the first time?
17. If you could have coffee with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
Questions That Make You Think About The World Around You
18. Is life a computer simulation?
19. Do we have control over technology, or does it have control over us?
20. How can a single moment have the power to change everything?
21. What if there were no experts, but everyone knew a little about everything?
22. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what about reality?
23. How much influence does a person’s name have over the course of their life?
24. What happens if aliens are real?
25. If you had to support the idea that aliens weren't real, what would you say?
26. Who decides what the "right" thing is?
27. Is time a construct?
28. Why do most people work five days per week instead of four? Three? Two?
29. What shape is the sky?
30. Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?
31. What’s better: Being a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?
32. Was math created or discovered?
33. Is fate a real thing?
34. Does the "truth" exist, or is it all subjective?
35. Can you cry underwater?
36. Why is it called a "building" if it’s already built?
Thought Provoking Questions For Mental Health
37. At what point does working for a better life become an unhealthy obsession?
38. What is your mother like?
39. What is your father like?
40. What happened when you got in trouble as a child?
41. What is your greatest strength?
42. What is your greatest weakness? Is it different?
43. What are some of your fondest memories?
44. Who took care of you as a kid?
45. What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of your life?
46. What was the moment where you felt most grateful?
47. Do you think anyone is really happy all the time?
48. Do people possess souls and if so, where are they in the body?
49. Does life need to have a purpose or can you just live, purposeless?
50. How do you know your memories are true? Does it matter either way?
51. What would you try if you knew you wouldn’t fail?
52. What would you try if you knew you would fail?
53. Can you believe what you see on social media? Why or why not?
54. Where do thoughts come from?
55. If you don't want to answer one of these questions, why is that?
Questions That Make You Think About Reality
56. What will civilization look like in 10,000 years?
57. Do your dreams have a deeper meaning?
58. Why do people want to achieve success? Why do you?
59. What would happen if money didn't exist?
60. What do you think being famous is actually like?
61. What kind of life is beyond this universe?
62. Do you believe in love at first sight?
63. People say life is short. Why do you do so many things you don’t like, and like so many things you don’t do?
64. Why do you *actually* do "good deeds"?
65. If you knew the answer, what would it be?
66. What's your most significant childhood memory?
67. Do you believe you have a soulmate? Why or why not?
68. What *actually* gets you out of bed in the morning?
69. What do you think about before you fall asleep? When you wake up?
70. Do you think you’ve ever seen the same wild animal more than once?
71. If two mind readers read each other's minds at the same time, whose mind are they reading?
72. Do you think today's professional musicians and performers are actually the most talented at their craft?
73. Which came first: the chicken or the egg?
74. What is justice? What is truly evil?
75. How does it feel in your body to talk about such deep stuff?
Clearly, Socrates was onto something when he said "the unexamined life is not worth living."
Olivia Evans (she/her) is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health. Her work has previously appeared in The Cut and Teen Vogue. She loves covering topics where culture and wellness intersect. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running, and watching rom-coms.
