Mandy Len Catron 'overwhelmed' by reaction to modern love column

A Vancouver writer is "overwhelmed" by the response to her story of finding love by asking an acquaintance a set of 36 questions.

"It's just astounding," said Mandy Len Catron of the article published in the New York Times. "People are so positive and kind in their response to the article."

Catron is working on The Love Story Project, a non-fiction collection of stories and research about love. 

This summer, Catron tried an experiment with an acquaintance, based on a theory put forward in 1997 by psychologist Arthur Aron. He suggested that a couple of strangers could fall in love by asking each other a set of increasingly personal questions, followed by four minutes of staring into each other's eyes.

• 36 questions that could make you fall in love with a stranger

Catron and her acquaintance  asked each other Aron's 36 questions over beers at the Morrissey Pub in Vancouver. A few months later, they were dating. They're still together and the success prompted her to write the New York Times column. 

Catron told On the Coast host Stephen Quinn that she much preferred asking questions in person to dating online, which she had been doing previously.

"I was feeling a bit disenchanted by that process," Catron said. "There's something about online dating that creates a lot of anxiety for me."

As a result of the popularity of her article in the New York Times, her book project is now getting some attention.

"I'm a little overwhelmed by this whole thing," said Catron, "But it's very exciting."

Listen to the audio: How to fall in love with a stranger.