Resonance measures whether a question touches something that matters to a human being. Does it connect to real emotional stakes—not just "shared experience" but actual feelings?

IMPORTANT: "Relatable" is not the same as "resonant." Many questions are relatable without being resonant. Eating gummy bears is relatable. Biting heads off gummy bears is relatable. But neither has real emotional stakes.

A high-resonance question touches the full spectrum of human feeling:

Joy, delight, wonder, awe
Fear, anxiety, dread
Love, connection, belonging
Loss, grief, loneliness
Hope, longing, anticipation
Vulnerability, shame, tenderness
Identity, self-understanding, meaning

Examples of HIGH resonance:

"Why does a spoon feel heavier when you're about to take medicine?" (Stakes: childhood dread, vulnerability to illness)
"Why do dogs' eyes get cloudy before they die?" (Stakes: grief, loss of a companion)
"Why do we feel peace lying in grass?" (Stakes: belonging to the earth, embodied joy)
"Why do we remember where we were when we heard bad news?" (Stakes: how memory holds grief)
"Why does it feel different to hold a baby that's yours?" (Stakes: love, attachment, identity as parent)

Examples of LOW resonance (pure trivia):

"Why are school buses yellow?" (No stakes—regulation trivia)
"Why do gummy bears change texture when stale?" (No stakes—food science)
"Why do dogs spin before lying down?" (No stakes—evolutionary fun fact)
"Why are manhole covers round?" (No stakes—engineering)

The "shared experience" trap: WRONG: "This is relatable, so it's resonant." RIGHT: "This is relatable AND it touches fear/joy/love/loss/hope/identity."

Heuristic: Ask "Whose life, feelings, or self-understanding is at stake?" If you can only answer "it's interesting" or "many people can relate," it's likely POOR or OK. If you can name a specific emotion (grief, joy, fear, hope, love), it's likely GOOD or VERY GOOD.

01ObservationNotices a specific, concrete detail, pattern, or anomaly worth questioning.

Observation

02DepthReaches beyond surface impressions toward underlying reasons, meanings, or specifics.

Depth

03NoveltyAvoids the obvious question and takes a fresh, idiosyncratic angle.

Novelty

04HumilityUses simple, direct language without flexing, jargon, or fake certainty.

Humility

05ResonanceTouches shared experience, vulnerability, or the stakes of being alive—not just trivia.

Resonance