Arthur Aron (born July 2, 1945) is a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is best known for his work on intimacy in interpersonal relationships, and development of the self-expansion model of motivation in close relationships.

In 2018, Aron featured in the Australian narrative film 36 Questions.^[1]

Arthur Aron received a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy in 1967 and a master's degree in social psychology in 1968, both from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a PhD in social psychology from the University of Toronto in 1970.^[2]

Aron's work focuses on the role, creation, and maintenance of friendship and intimacy in interpersonal relationships. He developed the self-expansion model of close relationships; it posits that one of the motivations humans have for forming close relationships is self-expansion, i.e., "expansion of the self", or personal growth and development.

Aron is married to psychologist Elaine Aron.^[3]

His son is television writer Elijah Aron. He has two grandsons.

• Aron, A.; Melinat, E.; Aron, E. N.; Vallone, R. D.; Bator, R. J. (April 1997). "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 23 (4): 363–377. doi:10.1177/0146167297234003. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.

• "Arthur Aron's CV". State University of New York at Stony Brook. May 31, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
• Sprecher, Susan (March 1988). "Love and the Expansion of Self: Understanding Attraction and Satisfaction by Arthur Aron; Elaine Aron". Contemporary Sociology. 17 (2). American Sociological Association: 268–269. doi:10.2307/2070652. JSTOR 2070652.
• Catron, Mandy Len (January 9, 2015). "To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
• Jones, Daniel (January 9, 2015). "No. 37: Big Wedding or Small?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2015.