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Coming up with“fun facts” is never actually fun — more like a boring chore or, even worse, an anxiety-inducing prompt that somehow makes your mind go blank. But they exist for a reason. Whether the context is work, school, or your new book club, the impulse to ask for a fun fact is rooted in a desire to encourage connection. At best, a fun fact is an opportunity to offer a more well-rounded picture of who you are beyond your degree or your job description. Think of it this way: What do you want someone to start a conversation with you about later? Or, what’s an aspect of your identity that you want to lead with in the environment where the fun fact is being requested? It could be anything, from your sense of humor to the nuances of your gender.
A great way to combat that stressful on-the-spot feeling when you’re asked for a fun fact is to be prepared. Know that, in any new environment you enter, there’s a chance you’ll need one, and plan for it ahead of time. That’s where we come in.
Here are 60 ideas and prompts you can keep in your back pocket for the next time you’re asked.
1. Your proudest atypical accomplishment:the time you built an Ikea dresser in an hour flat, your Jenga title, your famous Super Bowl dip.
2. Your most prized collection. Whether it’s old coins, stamps, shopping bags, or Frank Ocean magazine covers, this is a perfect “fun” fact.
3. Your biggest (nonserious) fear. You don’t want to get too vulnerable here (“My biggest fear is death” may chill the room a bit), but if you’ve got a very specific, less common fear, like chipmunks or being scratched, go with that.
4. The first job you wanted when you were a little kid.
5. Your high-school superlative. (Unless you won, like, “Most Popular” or “Most Likely to Succeed.” No, thanks! Keep it to yourself!)
6. Your go-to comfort-binge TV show. Say something like Abbott Elementary, Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and people will be like “Ha, same!” and never think of it again. (Ideal.)
7. Something you were embarrassingly late to realize. Like finding out narwhals are a real animal or that Forrest Gump was actually not based on a true story.
8. Your celebrity crush. The best options here fit in the “Totally Kind of Hot” category — not universal but niche relatable.
9. Your best celebrity sighting. Personally, I once saw Lindsay Lohan smoking a cigarette on a stoop in downtown St. Paul!
10. How many tattoos/piercings you have. This one could be considered a little risqué (like … where are they?), so you’ve got to feel out the office vibe first.
11. What your last meal on Earth would be.
12. The trip you most want to take but haven’t yet. (For me, Roswell, New Mexico, for alien reasons.)
13. An embarrassing piece of trivia from your Spotify or other music-streaming account. Most of the apps create a year in review for you, so you may as well use it.
14. Your favorite word. (Probably don’t pick one that’s NSFW.)
15. A superstition you have.
16. The most unusual/severe illness you’ve had.
17. The weirdest (nonsexual!!) thing you can do with your body. The downside here: Be prepared for people to ask you to do it. You’ve been warned!
18. Your most unusual pet.
19. The longest travel delay you’ve ever experienced. People love to commiserate about travel delays.
20. A contest you once won. Like, say, you and your friend dressed up, stood in line, and were rewarded with free Black Eyed Peas tickets from a local radio station.
21. A poem, song, or scene from a movie that you’ve memorized. Just know going in that you may be asked to perform.
22. The amount of prepping you’ve done for the end of the world/your strategy for the climateapocalypse.
23. The animal you would be if you knew you’d be reincarnated as an animal. Just make sure not to use the term spirit animal.
24. The first concert you attended as a teenager (generally gets at least a few nostalgia laughs).
25. The first name your parents almost gave you.
26. The mythical creature/entity you kind of believe in even though you know it isn’t real. (Probably.)
27. The funniest, first, or worst job you had as a teenager.
28.Basic but a reliable conversation starter: Your astrological big three, especially if you strongly disagree with it or strongly relate to it.
29. The one feature you would add to Instagram if you were put in charge of that.
30. The eeriest prediction you made that later came true (or at least partly true).
31. Your birthplace, especially if it’s not where you currently live or grew up, or if it wasn’t in a hospital.
32. The first song you can remember truly loving.
33. The song you love to perform at karaoke.
34. The number of plants you own. This works especially well if it’s an unusually high amount or if it’s zero.
35. Your favorite “bad” smell, like gasoline or attic smell.
36. A sports team you’re a passionate fan of, like the New York Liberty or the Iron Dames.
37. The most ridiculous clothing item you own. Like, say, a purple corduroy gown that is two sizes too big for you and you cannot return.
38. Your favorite childhood book series or video game. Usually relatable!
39. Something you do every week, like morning runs or D&D nights.
40. A Drake song you unfortunately really relate to (or that could have been about you).
41. The name and photos of any recently-born babies you’re related to, whether it’s your own, a sibling’s, or even your best friend’s. Guaranteed “Awwwww”s.
42. A description of your elaborate multi-step skin-care routine.
43. A community effort or organization you’re involved with.
44. Something you can’t do that most people can, like whistling or raising one eyebrow.
45. The last concert you went to.
46. The number of books you own. Again, this is particularly intriguing if you own very many or very few.
47. The funniest role you played in your high school’s theater program.
48. A piece of niche or relatively harmless drama you were at the center of, like if you once tweeted something that caused days of relationship discourse or if you were the reason your middle school wasn’t allowed to bring Tamagotchis to school.
49. A dish or baked good that you make an excellent version of.
50. A low-stakes allergy or dietary restriction or rule you have, like if you’re allergic to watermelon or happen to really hate bacon.
51. Your childhood celebrity crush, especially if it was a cartoon.
52. A minor celebrity you absolutely stan. We’re talking the local news anchor you love or the Love Island contestant you still follow on Instagram.
53. Something you’ve never done that most people have, like gotten a manicure or driven a car.
54. A TikTok dance you learned during early COVID.
55. A seemingly random city you visited for a slightly embarrassing reason, like if you’ve been to Forks, Washington, for Twilight reasons or you went to an ice fishing conference in St. Paul, Minnesota.
56. Your hometown’s claim to fame. If you really don’t want to say anything about yourself, just say you went to the same high school as Bruce Springsteen or whoever. This works better if you’re from a small town.
57. Your breakfast that morning. It’s not too personal and it can even get a few laughs.
58. If the vibe is casual and comfortable enough, you could tell a brief story about a bad date, like “I once showed up to a date and found out the comedy show he’d invited me to was his own.”
59. An art exhibit you recently saw and loved.
60. Insist there’s nothing interesting about you at all. Funny and the only truly respectable option.
